Beaxbaton Baby
by girlthatwrites
Summary: This is about a girl who has lived and gone to school at Durmstrang, where her uncle and guardian is the Herbology teacher, until her fourth year. Her grandmother decides to send her to Beaxbaton Academy because she is "nothing but a filthy tomboy".
1. Chapter 1

"Aurora Bethany Lynx!" my uncle, Romulus, bellowed. "Get down here now!"

I was currently sleeping off a headache, which I had gotten from falling off a fence. I had been challenged by Argius to do so. He thought now that he was fifteen and "older" than me that he was also more able than me. I walked along the top of the fence to shut him up. I had done similar stunts to shut up other students who thought they were really ace. Many of the Durmstrang boys can be that way.

What, you ask, is a girl doing at Durmstrang? I am living with my Uncle Romulus, the Herbology teacher. I board in a small room off his office. It was only slightly larger than a broom closet. Thank God I am not claustrophobic. I am usually not there anyway.

"Rory!" my uncle yelled once more.

I kicked my long pale legs off the bench I was lying on. I stood up lazily. I was on the third level of the Herbology green house where there was a little sanctuary. I pulled my dark blond hair back. It had some dark brown in it too. It went a couple inches past my shoulder and was quite thick. It was pin straight. Sometimes I wish I had curly hair. My uncle says my mother's hair was curly. I fixed my navy sweater and denim pants. I went down the stairs slowly.

"Hurry or we'll miss the first Quidditch match," Uncle Romulus urged.

I grunted a response. My uncle was tall and broad shouldered. I had his height but a slender frame. Do not let that fool you. I can hold my own in a fight very well. I crossed my arms as we walked to the pitch. It was warm for this far up North for September. I still pulled the sleeves of my sweater over my hands to keep them warm.

I sat next to my uncle in the stands. He was waving his blue flag with a star on it for the North house. The South house had a polar bear on a red flag. The West house had a beaver on a pale yellow flag. The East house had a gray eye on a forest green flag. Professor Swarvosk sat next to us in the yellow and brown colors of the West house.

I watched the match half-heartedly. I am usually very excited about Quidditch, but today was different. All day I had been feeling anxious. It was not a good type of anxiousness though. My muscles had been getting tenser every hour. I played with a button on my sweater. The next time my uncle spoke I jumped.

"A nice match, wouldn't you agree, Rory?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, it was very nice," I responded. "Very fair, too."

"Fair? Those bloody West Beaters knocked our Keeper off his broom with their bats!"

"Really?"

"Yes. Were you even paying attention? It is not like you to be so out of it."

"Don't act like you know me you foul liar!" I suddenly screamed. Even I had no idea where that came from. "I heard the Howler you got the other day! Gram yelled at you for selling our home! That was my mother's house! That was the only thing I had of her besides this stupid necklace!"

I ripped off the necklace with the lion claw. I threw it at my uncle. I ran down the stands. I watched the ground as I ran. I opened the door without looking up. I went down the stone steps to the kitchen. I had lived on campus during the school year since I was five. I knew my way around very well. I slid into the kitchen unnoticed by everyone but the head chef, Hilda. She was short and squat but kind and caring.

"Dear child, what's wrong?" she asked. She still had a little bit of her Irish brogue. She had moved here almost thirty-five years ago to marry a man up here.

"Uncle Romulus sold my mother's house," I said.

She clicked her tongue. "For a fourth year you act so childish sometimes."

"But it was my mother's-"

"I was not talking about that, dear. I meant that bruise on your head. I heard about your tumble." She winked. "But that boy learned his lesson. I heard you gave him a box in the ear."  
>I blushed a little. Sometimes I act a little bit too much on impulse. I do not realize how rash my actions are until later. "I shouldn't have."<p>

"Well, you can't go changing the past, can you? Take a seat, sweets, I just finished some corn bread. You can taste test it."

I sat at the counter. Hilda gave me a piece of cornbread. I tore some off bit by bit. Crumbs fell all over me. Every now and then I brushed them away. I recounted the whole Quidditch episode to Hilda. At the end she patted my hand.

"You have every right to be narked," she approved. "Your uncle should buy the house back. I can't imagine why he would sell it. It was his sister's house."

"Exactly!" I took another bite of corn bread. "I don't get how he could-"

"Ms. Lynx."

I got up to face the door. I smiled when I saw Professor Swarvosk in the doorway. She was wearing a purple robe. She was the astronomy teacher. Her brown hair was in a braid, making her appear younger than she really was. She was short but slight. She walked right into the kitchen. She hugged Hilda.

"Hello, Ma," she said. She turned to me. "Rory, we need to talk about your little outburst."

"You're right on time. We just started talking about it."

"Not just you and me. Your uncle, too."

"No. I refuse to speak to him."

"You need to know why he is renting the house out to others."

"Renting? But Gram said he sold it."

"No. He's renting it out for extra money. You know how your grandmother exaggerates everything."

"Yes, I know. But what does he need extra money for?"

"Your tuition."

"Durmstrang doesn't have tuition."

She twirled her braid. "I know." She checked her watch. "Come with me. I I'll help you get ready. Your grandmother is coming to visit."

"I hate this," I complained to Professor Swarvosk.

"I know, but you'll only have to put up with it for a few hours," she assured. She leaned on my uncle's desk. "How about we go to the pitch after this? I want to show you this new move I came up with."

"Sure."

"Brilliant. Have fun."

Professor Swarvosk left. I was now alone in my uncle's office. I tugged on the end of my blue dress. It came to my knees. I clicked the heels of my flats together. The dress was short sleeve so I wore a purple sweater. I pulled it tight around myself. I fixed the headband in my hair. I swung my legs back and forth. There was a paper on the desk. I leaned forward to see if it had anything to do with who was renting my home. The door opened before I saw anything.

Gram gave me a hug. She went through all the usual niceties. I stayed quiet. She sat in the chair next to mine. My uncle sat at his desk.

"Have you told her yet?" Gram asked Uncle Romulus.

"Told me what?" I asked anxiously.

"No, not yet," Uncle Romulus said. He took a deep breath. "Rory, you are transferring to Beaxbaton Academy."

I actually laughed. "You're joking, right?"

"Of course not!" Gram exclaimed. "Everything has been arranged. We leave at dawn tomorrow."

"Dawn?"

"Yes, dawn. I swear you're worse than your mother when it comes to waking up early."

I crossed my arms resolutely. "I won't go."

"You will get the finest education at Beaxbaton."

"I'm already getting the finest education here."

"For what price? You are the most unladylike young woman I know. You are nothing more than a dirty little tomboy!"

"I mind my manners when I both need to and want to."

"That is not proper."

"What is not proper is taking someone from their home," I shot back.

She stood up. Gram is a small woman, but when she wants to she can look like a giant. "You are going to Beaxbaton Academy and that is final!" She sat back down. She fixed her skirt. "So, dear," she said to my uncle, "how was the Quidditch match this morning?"


	2. Chapter 2

I walked into the large white castle in awe. Silver drapes hung in every window. My grandmother led me down a long corridor to the left. We passed five pictures on the wall. I could not get a gander at them before the door to the office I had been brought into closed. A woman who looked very much like my grandmother greeted us. She made my trunk hover as she led me to a back hallway. Gram gave me a silent wave before leaving. I looked ahead again.

"Heavy trunk," the lady commented.

"My grandmother went a little overboard buying the uniform and new clothes for me," I said.

"She must care a lot about you."

"She just wants me to become a nice young lady so she can brag about me to her friends."

The woman frowned. She did not say anything else. I followed her into a large dining hall. The entire staff was seated around a large circular table. A woman who reminded me of a giant because of her height stood up. She walked over. Her heels clicked on the white marble floor. She smiled when she got to us.

"Is this Aurora Lynx?" she asked.

"Yes," the woman said.

"I go by Rory," I said quietly.

"Very nice. I am Madame Maxime. Ms. Hansen, will you please hold her trunks until she has been sorted." The woman nodded. "Brilliant. Follow me, Rory."

I followed Madame Maxime across the room. She showed me into a smaller room at the back. Inside was empty except for a large mirror on the wall directly across from the wall. I stepped in. Madam Maxime told me to look into the mirror. I did.

At first I saw only my reflection. Along the silver frame of the mirror were five carvings. An Arctic fox, a polar bear, a dove, a hare, and a snowy owl. Under each was a word in script. Under the Arctic fox was "stealth", under the polar bear was "protective", under the dove was "loving", under the hare was "quick", and under the snowy owl was "wise". I knew they stood for the houses.

I looked closer at the mirror. An image was slowly starting to appear. I hoped it was a polar bear. If I was in that house I would have some connection to Durmstrang. Instead an Arctic fox appeared. Unintentionally my shoulders sagged a little. I turned. Madame Maxime clapped her hands. A wall slid back. A scarf, sweater, and hat that were white and silver floated toward me.

"The colors of the Foxten House," she said.

I took the clothes. Madame Maxime brought me back into the dining room. A tall man in a silver suit stood. He was older and had a white beard. He nodded his head to me.

"This is Professor la Urque," Madame Maxime explained. "He is the head of Foxten House. He will show you to your common room. From there the prefect will lead you."

I followed Professor la Urque out of the dining room through a long series of corridors and stairs. He stopped on what I think was the fifth floor. There was a large wooden door with an Arctic fox carved into it. He opened the door. He ushered me in.

I stared at everything. It was all white and silver. The fireplace was made of white wood. A crystal chandelier hung over a large circular table where a group of girls were having their breakfast. The chairs, couches, and tables were all silver and white. White marble steps led to a hallway with seven doors.

A girl with long dark brown hair stood up from the table. She went walked up to us. Professor la Urque made some papers appear in his hand. She took them from him. She curtsied to him before he left. She looked at the papers quickly. She looked me over. A clear look of disgust was on her face.

"Your trunk is in the fourth room door," she said. "I recommend you change. Immediately. Classes start in fifteen minutes. This is your schedule." She handed me one of the papers. "This is your map." She handed me another. "I will assign one of your roommates to show you around."

I walked up the marble stairs, still in awe of the beauty of the place. I went the fourth room dorm. Inside were five beds, all with silver drapes. I went to the one where my trunk was waiting. I changed out of my Muggle clothes that I liked to wear and into the Beaxbaton uniform. It was a white blouse and light blue skirt with tights and black shoes. I pulled my hair back. I put on the light blue headband Gram had gotten me. I put the rest of my clothes in the white bureau next to my bed.

My book bag was already packed so I went downstairs. Only one girl was left. She had light brown hair. I walked up to her. She looked me over.

"You look better now," she said. "More presentable. We have Professor Indiga first for Charms. She would flip if she saw you in the clothes you were in before."

She sounded about as snooty as all the other girls here. "Whatever."

"Just follow me."

The girl walked quickly so I had to jog to keep up with her. We were actually early for our first class. I looked at my schedule. There were eight hours for each day. It rotated each day. Charms, Herbology, Astronomy, Transfiguration, Lunch, History of the Magical World, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions. The next day it would go Potions, Charms, Herbology, etc. I was glad to see there was no Muggle Studies or mystical creature classes. Twice a week I had a free instead of Astronomy.

"Come in, girls," a voice called.

I walked in. All the girls had their heads down as they walked. The person who was supposed to show me around did not even bother to introduce me to the teacher or try to help me find a seat. I settled for the back. A girl with glasses and red hair in a braid came running in. A lot of the girls waved at her, but the girl who was supposed to show me around just snickered.

"Sorry I'm late, Professor Indiga," the redhead said.

"Just sit down, Gertrude," the professor said sharply.

Gertrude sat down next to me. She smiled at me in a friendly manner. She had trouble trying to find her quiver while Professor Indiga began rambling in a snobby voice. I gave her my extra.

"Thanks," she whispered.

She began scribbling down everything Professor Indiga said. Her writing was extremely neat. Professor Indiga flicked her wand. Notes appeared on the board. Everyone began writing extremely fast. I did too. It is a good thing I did because just as I was finishing the last word Professor Indiga flicked her wand again. New notes appeared on the board. My hand had a bad cramp by the end of the class.

"Are all the teachers like this?" I asked.

"No," Gertrude said. We started to pack up. "Are you new here?"

"Just came this morning. I'm in Foxten."

"I'm in Delyah House. We're the ones with the dove."

"Nice. Now I know two house names."

Gertrude and I walked out of the classroom. "Karkoff House has the polar bear. Ninetta House the hare. Pallas House is the owl. Professor Indiga is the head of Pallas House. Those poor unfortunate souls."

"She can't be that bad."

"But she can."

I laughed. "My name's Rory, by the way."

"Gertrude, but I got by Trudy. What class do you have next?"

"Herbology."

"Me too. Since you're new, aren't you supposed to have a guide?"

"Yes, but I don't like her and she doesn't like me."

"I'm guessing it's Madeline."

"Is she in Foxten? Brown hair? Short?"

"Yes, that's her. What a-" She stopped short. "She's just not very nice."

"I guessed that."

We had to go out of the castle to get to the green house. When I walked in I was shocked. The green house was only one level. It had very little variety in plants. I saw a stack of textbooks on a table. Trudy took one. I picked one up. I had never heard of a Herbology textbook before. I sat on one of the chairs along a row of mandrils.

"Good morning, class," a short pudgy man greeted as he walked in. He spotted me right away. "Who's this bright new face?"

"Rory Lynx," I said.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Rory. I am Professor Gru." He clapped his hands. "Class, turn to page two thirty four."

We learned about a type of grass that can be enchanted to grow and choke anyone you want. I was surprised by how advanced this class was. When Professor Gru mentioned a plant they had studied the day before, I almost did not recognize it. They do not study that plant until the sixth year at Durmstrang. Still, the class had its down side, which came at the end.

"Now, as you all know, it is very improper for a young lady to use such a spell," Professor Gru said. I felt like he was talking about me in particular.

I walked out of the class with Trudy again. She had Muggle Studies so I had to go to Astronomy alone. I noticed a small girl in our class that I had seen at the breakfast table in my common room. She had short blond hair that fell in her face. I was guessing she was a fourth year too, but she was very small. Madeline and two other fourth years I recognized from the breakfast table were sneering at her. I have a thing for underdogs so I walked over.

"What's your problem?" I asked Madeline.

Madeline smirked. She turned to the tall girl on her right. "I don't know. What's my problem, Tianna?" Tianna shrugged. Madeline turned to the brunette on her left. "Do you know what my problem is, Estelle?" Estelle shrugged. Madeline turned back to me. "Looks like I don't have a problem, Lynx, so back off."

I came so close to pushing her into the desk behind her, but Professor la Urque walked in. He asked everyone to sit down. I sat next to my small roommate.

"You okay?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said quietly.

The Astronomy class was on the same level as Durmstrang. The class was not as fun as Professor Swarvosk's classes. I told her I would write to her after a couple days to tell her how I was doing. My owl, Hamlet, was probably in Beaxbaton's Owlery by now. Speaking of owls, we transfigured bushes into owls in Transfiguration. I was surprised by how well the Beaxbaton girls did. I was also happy I picked up on it easily.

During lunch we went back to our common rooms. Food was waiting for us. I took a seat next to the small girl, whose name was Ursula. In my opinion the name did not fit her very well. It sounded too evil and dark. She seemed too nice and bright. After breaking out of her shell a little during lunch it turns out she has a pretty sarcastic sense of humor too. That was good, since that was what I was used to.

The rest of the day was better since I knew someone in my classes. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was away getting supplies so we had a free hour. I got my Herbology and Astronomy homework gone. We had Potions with the Delyah House. It turns out Trudy and Ursula are cousins. We sat together in one of the first rows in the Potions class.

"That's Professor Tachs," Trudy said, pointing at an old woman who was walking into the room. Her gray hair was in a tight bun and she walked with purpose.

Professor Tachs flicked her wand. "Has anyone ever heard of Lullaby's Curse?" Ursula's hand went up shakily. I put my hand up too. "Ms. Jutt, I know you know it, so we'll let our new student," she looked at a paper, "Ms. Lynx, give it a go. What is Lullaby's Curse?"

"Lullaby's Curse is a potion that is maid using the essence of a mermaid's tale. When you drink it you gain the ability to sing the mermaid's song. However, it is the mermaid's luring song, so it will lure everyone to their death, including you," I explained. I had made the potion in my second year.

"Very good," Professor Tachs approved. "Everyone, cauldrons out!"

The bad thing about Lullaby's Curse is that it takes a long time to make. It also requires a lot of effort. I was sweating by the end of class. Everyone else looked exhausted. We all went back to our common rooms tiredly. I began on what I had left of my homework.

Professor la Urque joined us for dinner. Madeline lied to him and said she had had a great time showing me around. I almost flung my knife across the room into her lying throat. Instead I just nodded. I heard some of the third years whispering during dessert. Professor la Urque heard them too.

"Something you would like to share, ladies?" he asked.

"Um…" one said quietly.

"We were wondering if the rumors were true," another one piped up. "Is Beaxbaton partaking in the Triwizard Tournament again?"

Professor la Urque nodded. "It is very true. The date of the first challenge was pushed back due to the length of time it took to get approval for the Tournament. We are leaving in two weeks. I was going to surprise you with the news in a little while, but you've beaten me to it."

"Do you still have to be seventeen?" a girl who was a sixth year asked.

"They have moved the age down to sixteen."

"Yes, now I can enter my name."

"Is it the same challenges as when Victor Krum was in it?" I asked. "He told me they were very hard."

Madeline's jaw dropped. "You know Victor Krum?" she asked.

"Yes, he's a friend of mine. He taught me how to ride a broom. My uncle isn't much of a flier."

"No, the challenges are not the same," Professor la Urque said. "Well, ladies, I must go write to my wife before I go to bed. I will see you all tomorrow."

A crowd formed around me after he left. They demanded every detail about Victor Krum. When they found out I knew other Durmstrang boys, they demanded even more details. I managed to slip out of the crowd with them hardly noticing. No wonder I was in the house of "stealth". I went up to my dorm. Tianna and Estelle ganged up on me in the dorm.

"Do our homework," Tianna ordered.

"No," I said.

"Do it!" Estelle urged. "I've got better things to do than write about stars."

"I'm not going to do your homework."

"C'mon. We're roommates. We've got to help each other out."

"The only thing I would help you two do is drown."

"Sassy, huh? I don't like sass," Tianna said. "That's my thing."

"Yeah? Well, you better work on it."

Tianna looked like she wanted to punch me. I guess she was too much of a lady to do it. I was not. I pulled my fist back. I smashed it against her nose with enough force to send her stumbling back. Estelle jumped onto her bed and closed the drapes. Tianna began crying. Madeline walked in. She smirked.

"You're so in trouble," she told me. "Professor la Urque!"

"You don't know it was me," I said.

"It was you!" Tianna blubbered.

"Shut up," I told her. "And next time do your own homework, you lazy arse."

Professor la Urque appeared in the doorway. He looked at me disapprovingly. I was getting that look more and more lately. I got thirty at once at lunch when I did not put my napkin on my lap. Professor la Urque asked me to follow him. He left the common room and brought me down two flights of stairs. We walked through four corridors before he stopped. He knocked on a large door. There was no answer. Professor la Urque sighed.

"I guess Madame Maxime has left her office," he said. "I will have to take this into my own hands. You have two weeks of after school detention. One more act of violence and I will suspend you. If for some unfathomable reason you commit another one, you will be expelled. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"I know this is not an environment you are used to but you are going to have to get used to it very soon. You do not want to be left out when we go to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, do you?"

"No, sir."

"Then you had best start acting like a proper young lady. Now get back to your dorm."

I walked back quickly. At first I was afraid I was lost, but then I saw the door with the fox on it. Madeline was smiling like she had just dominated the world. I went right to bed. I closed my drapes angrily. I was afraid they would tear off. They did not.

The next day was extremely dull. I had to give up my free period because Professor la Urque made me go to a special etiquette class. It seemed virtually never ending. A couple of times I almost fell asleep during that class and the others. Then we had Defense Against the Dark Arts.


	3. Chapter 3

I walked into the classroom. All the desks were against the walls. I sat down next to Trudy. She did not seem as weary as me. I placed my book bag on the floor. I took out my wand. I waited for the teacher to come.

A door in the back of the room slammed open. A woman with a long bright purple robe swept into the room. Her black hair was piled high on top of her head. All the girls' faces lit up when they saw her. She whipped out her wand. She pointed straight ahead of her.

"Line up here!" she ordered.

We all hurried to line up. The professor smiled. She pointed at the ceiling. A few sparks flew off the tip of her wand. Everyone's faces fell a little. I had learned how to create fire a long time ago. A few people even began shuffling back to their seats.

A flame shot out of the professor's wand. It spiraled up toward the ceiling, growing bigger and bigger. It flew around the room like a lasso. The professor made a circle above her head with the wand. The rope of fire moved with it. She flicked her wand forward. The fire shot forward like a whip. Then it diminished.

A lot of the girls clapped. I did not. I could do that. In fact, I had done that the year before. I had been trying to show up Argius and Hemper. It had worked. I folded my arms. The professor looked at me. She raised an eyebrow. She flicked her wand. The jet of fire went out of her wand again. It split at the top and went to every corner of the room. Little jets shot out to go to the side. The fire formed a webbed dome in the room.

She flicked her wand again and salamanders with wings flew out of the flames. They soared down at us. Almost everyone screamed. They almost did a type of dance as they flew through the air. From the center of the dome a large ball of fire grew. It formed the shape of a large phoenix. Suddenly a real phoenix flew out of it. The phoenix flew straight at me. It landed on my shoulder.

"Now this is what I'm talking about," I said.

It all went away. The phoenix flew to the professor's shoulder. "Glad to know you've got classy taste," the professor said. "What's your name again?"

"Rory Lynx," I responded.

The professor smiled brightly. "That's a lovely name. I am Professor Pinns." She looked out at everyone. "Now, listen up closely, girls…"

She explained how to do the fire whip thing. I went through it automatically. At the end of class Professor Pinns asked me to stay back. I left my books at my desk and walked over. "Take your books," she said. I picked up my bag. Professor Pinns headed into the room in the back. I followed her.

Inside were artifacts, rugs, drapes, and furniture from every exotic place you could think of. Professor Pinns poured some tea with a black teapot that ad an intricate orange and blue flower design on it. She handed me a cup. She put in two quick spoonfuls of sugar. I stirred it.

"How did you know I take two sugars?" I asked.

"That's how your mother took her tea," Professor Pinns said. She sat in a velvet overstuffed chair next to me. She moved her hand. The stack of books on the table between us flew onto the shelves. I ducked as one went by my head.

"You knew my mother?" I asked.

"We were in Gryffindor together."

"Gryffindor?"

"It was the house we were in at Hogwarts."

"Oh, yes, now I remember." I touched the chain of the necklace I had. The lion paw had been something my mother had bought while attending Hogwarts. My uncle said it was part of the symbol of her house or something. "Were you friends?"

"Of course! We were the best of friends! Why, you'd be my foster child right now if your uncle was not around."

"Really? He never mentioned you."

"Well, your uncle and I were never particularly fond of each other. It's a long story that involves some magic gone wrong."

"What was my mother like?" I asked suddenly.

Professor Pinns smiled. "Ah, Miranda, she was such a kind person. She was brave, too. Smart, also. She could whip out a spell in seconds that took many others hours to even remember. Granted, we both spent most of our free time looking up spells. We were both kind of what you would call geeks. I was the weird one. I had a temper, too. Still do. But your mum, she was always so level headed. However, she could be stubborn."

I smiled. "My uncle says that, too. She was calm but stubborn, like an old mule."

Professor Pinns laughed. "I guess you could say that. Miranda always acted a bit too old for her age. She could be far too serious sometimes. Your father was one of the best things that ever happened to her."

My breath caught. "My father?"

"Yes, he helped her realize that being serious was not always the best thing. He could be awful immature sometimes."

"Who was he?"

Professor Pinns took a sip of her tea. "It is not my place to tell you. That is something that is up to your uncle and your Gram."

"And why haven't they told me yet? Who's to say they even know who he is? Please tell me."

She looked at me. "Your curiosity…it comes from both your parents, your mum specifically. However, you are more vocal about it, like your father."

"Who is he?"

"I cannot tell you, Rory, and I'm sorry. I will speak to your uncle or grandmother about this. You had better be off." She scrawled something on a piece of parchment. "Give this to Professor la Urque. And do not let me hear of you ever acting violent again." I headed for the door. "Rory?" I turned. "Do not take this into your own hands. Promise me you won't."

"I won't."

"Good. Now off you go."  
>I ran to Professor la Urque's class. Until dinner I wrote "I will not hit others" on a long piece of parchment. It was the same the next day and the day after. The days dragged by. The weeks seemed to be endless. Trudy came down with a bad stomach illness and had to miss a week of classes. I had to attend the stupid etiquette classes until my detention sentence was up.<p>

"Want to sneak into the kitchen?" Trudy asked during Charms.

"What?" I whispered.

"Do you want to sneak into the kitchen? I heard the chef was making French bread. Maybe we can sneak in and ask for a piece."

"What's the point of sneaking in if you talk to the chef?"

"Girls!" Professor Indiga said. "No talking!"

Trudy lowered her voice more. "If any of the professors catch us going to the kitchen we're dead. The kitchen is near the staff room. The chef won't tell anyone if we've gone."

"Sure. Is the chef nice?"

"Yes, in a way. She's very quiet. Absorbed in her work. Her husband, one of the other chefs, is the complete opposite. You can hear him from a mile away. He's funny though. However, he can be a bit…un-gentlemanlike." Trudy fixed her glasses. She looked at the front of the classroom. She lowered her voice even more. "He swears around ladies."

I tried not to laugh. "You've got way too much etiquette crammed up in that cranium."

"What?"

"Never mind."

I went back to my notes. After my last class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, I met up with Trudy in the entrance hall. We snuck down to the kitchen. Ursula had to work on her Astronomy homework so she could not join us. She is not behind in class or anything. She is just very thorough with her homework, especially Astronomy and Potions. She has the top grade in both classes as of right now.

I ducked behind a statue when I heard someone around the corner. Trudy hid behind a banner. I heard the distinct sound of Professor Indiga's shoes as she walked down the hall. I pointed the tip of my wand around the statue. "_Aguamenti_," I said inaudibly. I heard Professor Indiga slip and fall. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. As you can tell, I was not liking Professor Indiga too much. She always looked at me like I was a horrible person.

Trudy and I ran down the hallway after Professor Indiga left with a huff.

"Why did you do that?" Trudy asked.

"I don't like her," I replied.

"So? It is very improper-"

"Like I gave a damn about being proper?" I laughed. "She acts like I'm some foul creature. If a professor can't respect her student, why should the student try to respect the professor?"

"But-"

She paused. She sniffed the air. She started dragging me along behind her. We went down tree narrow halls. I could smell the food cooking. Two other Foxtens passed us. They were third and fifth year sisters. They waved to me as I passed. They were nice. I had heard their parents owned a clothing store in the nearby town that we were occasionally allowed to visit. We had not visited the town yet, though.

"Hello!" a tall man yelled when Trudy and I entered. "Gertrude Panes! I have been expecting you the whole freaking day! I just finished a loaf! Get the hell over here and try it before some other girl comes in!"

Trudy ran over. She got a large slice of the French bread. I was expecting her to shove it in her mouth. Instead she ate it bit by bit, like at dinner and lunch. A woman who was average height and in her forties was talking to some of the other chefs as she went around and looked over their shoulders. She spoke quietly. She walked up to me.

"Hello, how may I help you?" she asked.

"I'm just with my friend," I said.

"Trudy?" I nodded. "I'll have my husband cut you a slice."

She walked over to the tall man. I followed her. She asked him to give me a slice of French bread. I took it. Trudy elbowed me in the ribs. I thanked the man after a moment's hesitation.

"This is Busy," Trudy said, motioning toward the man who was singing as he made more bread. She said it like a school bus with "y" at the end. "We're supposed to call him Chef Barnabus, but he prefers Busy. His wife is the head chef. Chef Eleanor Michella."

We finished our bread quickly. I was about to ask for another piece but Trudy was already leaving. I hurried after her. We passed Professor Anders in the entrance hall. He was our History of the Magical World professor. Trudy and I split on the stairs so we could go to our common rooms. I came across Madeline, Tianna, and Estelle while going into the common room. They glared at me but did not say anything.

"How was the bread?" Ursula asked when I sat in the chair next to her. "Busy usually makes good French bread."

"It was delicious," I said. "I would have gotten you a piece but Trudy was already gone."

Ursula laughed. "She hardly ever stops moving."

I took my astronomy textbook out of my book bag. "How was the homework?"

"Easy."

"So that means for everyone else it will cause serious mental pains?"

"No, it really was easy. I finished a half-hour ago." She held up the book she was reading. "It's something my aunt wrote."

"Trudy's mum?"

"No, my Aunt Mildred. She's a writer. She writes biographies about famous witches and warlocks. I'm reading about Godric Gryffindor."

I nodded. Maybe I would borrow the book after she finished it. I reached for my quill in my book bag. My hand closed around air. I looked down. I would have sworn but over the past two weeks I had started to not swear as much. I told Ursula I was going back down to the kitchen to look for my quill. I had probably dropped it while down there.

I searched the ground carefully as I went down the stairs. I would have just used an extra quill if I had any left. Trudy is one of the most forgetful people you will ever meet. I always had to lend her a quill. Then she would lose it. I did not mind. I would rather lose a quill than have to hear Professor Indiga yell. She screeches like an owl with laryngitis when she yells.

I looked for the quill near the kitchen. I got down on my hands and knees to look behind the statue. I found it. I put it in my mouth so I could get out from behind the statue. I stood up quickly. I looked down the hall to make sure no teachers were coming or had seen me.

"Looking for something?" a voice asked.

I spun. A boy my age was holding a wooden crate full of apples. He was wearing Muggle clothes. He had brown hair and green eyes. "Found it," I said. I waved the quill.

"You should go before one of the professors sees you."

"That's what I was doing." I went to walk but stopped. "Aren't you illegal or something? I mean, aren't no boys allowed?"

"My parents are the chefs. I help in the kitchen. And you're interrupting me during my work. These apples are heavy."

I did not like the tone he was using, especially considering this school was so big on etiquette. I felt like I was back at Durmstrang. "Then I'll just get out of your way, kitchen boy, since you're so much better than me."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're new, aren't you?"

I crossed my arms. "You're dim, aren't you?"

He put the crate down. "So you're Rory?"

"Maybe."

"Yeah, you're Rory. I've heard about you."

"What do you mean?"

"I bring the food to the staff room. Your name has been mentioned a few times." He picked the crate back up. "I now know exactly what they mean by 'She's a bit…different'. They also say you're difficult."

"That's just because I haven't been raised around fine china and posh clothes."

"Really? And what were you raised around?"

"Boys, Quidditch, and plants."

"Durmstrang?"

"Some people call it that."

"But that's an all boys school."

"My uncle teaches there."

"Were you allowed to take classes there?"

"Yes." I looked at the crate. "I thought those were heavy."

"They are. I'll see you later."

He walked by. I took an apple. It probably made the load lighter. I went back to my common room. I focused on my homework until dinner. Afterward I still had to work on it for about an hour. I wrote a letter to Professor Swarvosk and Uncle Romulus. I also decided to write two short ones to Hilda and Gram. Three hours later I looked up. I was the last one in the common room except for a couple seventh years. I went up to my room. I was surprised to see Ursula still up. She was hastily writing something in a journal.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," she replied quietly. She did not even look up.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Nothing." She closed the journal quickly. She threw it and the quill she had been using into the top drawer of her bureau. "I'm going to bed. Night."

She closed the drapes of her bed. I changed into my pajamas and went to bed. It took me a couple hours to fall asleep. I remembered we were going to Hogwarts in six days. This weekend we were going to the nearby town, Corps et Âmeville. I had gotten the permission slip signed by my Gram before we got here. I felt bad for Ursula. She was not able to go. Her mum had not sent in the permission slip in time.

I tried to think of what I would do in Corps et Âmeville. A lot of girls were talking about getting dresses for the Yule Ball. Some of the seventh and sixth years had been to the first Triwizard Tournament. They said that the Yule Ball at Hogwarts had been amazing. I hoped it would be just as good this time.


	4. Chapter 4

I jumped to the side as a sled went flying by. A group of little kids who were probably no more than five were riding on it. Trudy and I laughed as we crossed the street with Trudy's little sister, Margaret. She was a first year so she was not going to the Yule Ball, but she was coming with us to get our dresses for the it. She was apparently a little fashionista. I was really not that thrilled about the dress shopping. I would rather have just let Margie pick out my dress while I was at the joke shop.

Trudy squealed when we walked in. I knew we were in the store owned by the third and fifth year Foxtens I had passed on the way to the kitchen. Margie immediately clucked her tongue.

"You've already got enough red in your hair," Margie said. She was blond. "You don't need a red dress. Besides, the dress has to be the house colors. Try on…" She spun in a circle. She disappeared behind a rack of clothes. She came up behind me with two light purple dresses. "Try on these two."

Trudy took the two dresses from her sister a bit grudgingly. She went into the fitting room. Margie began looking for a dress for me. I just stood in the corner, humming quietly. After a while I spotted the third year from Foxten. She walked up to me and asked if she could help.

"I'm fine, Emma," I assured her. "Margie's getting me a dress."

"Okay. By the way, do you know what size Ursula is? Ingrid and I wanted to get her a dress since she wasn't able to come today." Ingrid was her older sister, the fifth year.

"I don't know, but it would probably be the smallest size."

"Thank you. Let us know if you need any help."

She went to go help another customer. I walked over to Margie. She was holding up two silver dresses. She seemed to be in deep thought. They were both too short and had extremely puffy sleeves. I picked up a plain strapless silver dress that went to the ground. It was the cheapest one there, I think. I thought it was very pretty. I went to the counter. I paid for the dress.

"Done," I said to Margie as she moved onto a different rack.

She looked at me incredulously. "What do you mean 'done'? I haven't even gotten you a dress yet!"

"I was getting bored. Tell Trudy to meet me in the joke shop once you guys are done."

Margie frowned. "Fine. She might not be over for a while though."

"It takes her _forever_ to change."

I went to the joke shop. It was not that big. It was an extension of a bigger joke shop called Weasley's Wizarding Weases. I was looking at a book that squirted smelly green gunk at people when they opened it when I heard a familiar voice. I turned. Around a display of Puking Pastels I saw the kitchen boy. He was talking to his dad, Busy, as they looked at fireworks that took dragon shapes. He turned. He smiled at me. Busy turned too.

"Ah! It's Trudy's friend!" he said. Well, yelled, actually. "What was your name again? Oh, yes, Rory! Now I remember! Been giving your teachers anymore trouble?"

"Um, no," I said quietly. I looked around self-consciously.

"Jolly good! It is only Giovanna that complains about you, anyway! Says you're a dirty tomboy with no manners!"

Professor Indiga's first name was Giovanna. "Oh…"

"Well, we'd best be going! See you around, Rory! Come on, Daniel!"

Busy walked away. He was not at all overweight, but his footsteps sounded like a dinosaurs. The kitchen boy, Daniel, seemed a little embarrassed. He nodded at me before walking away. I looked around the store again. No one had heard, apparently. I turned. Tianna and Estelle were there. They were glaring at me. I glared right back twice as well as both of them combined.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"We want you to leave Beaxbaton," Madeline said, walking out from behind another display to the right. "And we want you to leave now."

"Too bad. I'm staying." I was actually starting to really start to like Beaxbaton. "And there's nothing you can do about it."

Madeline smirked. "Really? Watch and see, Lynx, watch and see."

The three walked away self-importantly. I purchased a pack of Puking Pastels before leaving. Trudy was right outside. We went to the nearby pub for lunch. Trudy was astounded that I bought the Puking Pastels. I told her it was for when I wanted to skip school. She was even more shocked by that. Yet again, she has too much etiquette crammed in her cranium.

I ordered a meat pie and a butterbeer. I had to order a second because I finished the first one in almost seconds. I had not even realized I was that thirsty. The door slammed open. Busy and Chef Eleanor walked in with Daniel. Busy stomped over to a booth. The waiter went right up to them, smiling.

"Hey, it's Chef Eleanor," Trudy said, turning. "Who's the boy?"

"Daniel," I said. "Her son."

"She has a son?"

"Yes. He works in the kitchen."

"Oh, I never knew about him." She shrugged. She jumped up. "Let's go. My dress was being trimmed a little. I have to go pick it up."

I went back to the store with her. Ingrid and Emma greeted us when we walked in. They gave Trudy her dress. Next we went to a chocolate shop. I got a bag of chocolate covered wafers. I also got a box of assorted chocolates. I got some more parchment and quills. I was walking down the main road when something came soaring out of the sky.

"Is that your owl?" Trudy asked.

"Yes, it is."

Émeraude flew straight at me. She was a pretty dark brown color. Everyone loved her. She swooped and let go of the long package she was carrying. I caught it as she flew away. I sat on a nearby bench. Trudy had practically torn off all the wrapping before I had even started. I stared at the present.

"A Nimbus 3000," I whispered. I held up the broom.

"A what?" Trudy asked.

"It's said to be even faster than the Firebolt."

"The what?"

I stood up. "This is amazing."

"Why would you need a broom? We don't play Quidditch at Beaxbaton. Who would send you that?"  
>I looked at the card. The sender was Professor Swarvosk. I smiled. Without even thinking I ran down the street. I hopped on the broom. I soared into the air. I had to grip the broom tightly so I would not fall off. I kept going higher and higher. Suddenly I went down. I pulled up less than four feet from the street. Trudy was staring at me. I soared down the street. Many girls from Beaxbaton were looking around nervously.<p>

"Confundus!"

My broom jerked to the side. I had a tight enough grip on it not to fall off. I just flipped over so I was hanging upside down from it. I swung back up. Professor Indiga was watching me angrily from a pub window. Her wand was raised. I pulled my wand out. I pulled up on the broom with one hand.

"Expelliarmus!" I yelled.

I really did not care that I had just attacked a teacher. She had attacked me first. It was only fair. I leveled off again. I went down an alley. I went up again. I circled around the center of town one more time before landing. Trudy looked a little jealous. Professor Indiga was screaming profanities in a very improper way. Professor la Urque and Professor Pinns were only half-listening as they watched me out a window.

"Ms. Lynx."

I jumped at the loud voice of Madame Maxime. I turned slowly. I tried to hide the Nimbus 3000 behind my back. Trudy took a couple steps back. Madame Maxime stared down at me. She seemed even taller than usual. I looked at the ground. My cheeks were burning.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Sorry?" she said. "You think I will accept a sorry?"

"Please, ma'am, I didn't mean to-"

"That was extremely rash! You should have thought before you acted!"

"I'm sor-"

"You always do at least two dives before casting a spell! We will be sure you remember that at Hogwarts."

My jaw dropped a little. "What do you mean?"

"You can't do some fancy tricks on that broom. We would be honored to have you show them off when we arrive at Hogwarts."

I smiled broadly. "Really?"

"Yes. You will report to Professor Pinns for two sessions before we leave. Now, be careful and I do not want to see you riding on that broom anymore while we are here."

I nodded. "Yes. Of course, Madame Maxime!"

She walked away. Professor Indiga looked totally crushed. I turned. Trudy hugged me. She began jumping up and down and babbling excitedly. I hardly listened. I picked up my bags from the bench as we walked back down the street. For the rest of the visit all I could think about was how the boys from Durmstrang would react when they ever saw me after my weeks at Beaxbaton.

I made my trunk hover as I went down the stairs. The first and second years looked at us enviously. A couple of them managed to get their book bags to float, but not their entire trunks. I had to wheel my trunk on the stone ground in front of the castle. I went around the large marble fountain with the first headmaster of Beaxbaton's sculpture on it. I lifted it easily as I got into the seemingly tiny carriage. A few other people had trouble. I was shocked when Ursula heaved hers in like it was a bag of crumpled up paper.

I looked around the small entrance hall. There were seven levels, not including the main one, inside the carriage. Each could be reached by one main staircase and had doors along the side. I followed Professor Gru's directions to the fourth floor. I guess each year was boarding on the floor equal to their year. I found that weird, though, because there were at least twenty doors on the level. I kept following Professor Gru's instructions to room forty-six. Ursula had been given the same instructions as me.

I opened the door. There were only two beds inside. They were just like the ones in our dorm except only two. There was also a bureau for each and even a closet with a mirror on it. A mirror with white drapes was closed. I put my trunk down. I looked at Ursula happily.

"No Madeline!" I said.

"Yes!" Ursula said, doing a small fist pump.

We began putting our stuff away. I opened the window to air out the room. There was a little bit of dust on the bureaus and floor. It got kind of cold so I put on my silver and white scarf. When we went back to the entrance hall I noticed a few other people had probably done the same because they had on their colors. All the houses had white and another color. Light purple for Delyah. Yellow for Ninetta. Red for Karkoff. Pale blue for Pallas.

We were ordered to get into groups by our houses. Professor la Urque kept us in order as he led us into a dining hall that was on the first floor. There were five large circular tables. We sat at the one with the silver tablecloth. Madame Maxime walked in. She stood at a tall podium. It was still too small for her.

"Ladies," she called, bringing us all to attention. "We will be leaving in a few seconds. I hope you have all settled in well or will settle in well. I would like to point out that one faculty member will be residing on each floor besides the head of the houses. The first floor is where you may find my office, the kitchen, some classrooms, and a bathroom. I know you will all behave well on this journey so please enjoy yourselves."

We were dismissed. Ursula and I went back to our dorm. It took almost a day to get to Hogwarts. I watched outside the window a lot. Ursula could not or she would get sick. Over that day I did not see Madeline once, thankfully. I also heard a lot of the sixth and seventh years talking about the Triwizard Tournament. Many of them were very seriously considering entering their name. Some of the fifth years that were already sixteen were also talking about it. One of them was Ingrid Etements, the girl whose parents owned the clothes shop in Corps et Âmeville.

I finished buttoning my long blue jacket. Underneath I had on a white sleeveless dress. I also had on white tights and white heels. I had my wand in a deep pocket in my coat. I walked out of the room with my hat. Ursula's hat was sitting perfectly on top of her head as we went down the stairs. I had to get her and Trudy to help me with mine so it would stay in place. We had to conjure up a few hair clips and bobby pins. I think that is one of the things you only learn to do at Beaxbaton.

We all lined up by fives from seventh years down. The Houses left in alphabetical order. Delyah, Foxten, Karkoff, Ninetta, Pallas. Every single Beaxbaton student walked with perfect posture and their chin up, including me. I kept my perfect posture the whole walk to the large castle. A few places were undergoing construction. I knew Hogwarts was the home of the battle from earlier in the year when Voldemort was killed. People still talked about it sometimes. My Uncle Romulus's friend, Remus Lupin, had been killed in the battle along with his wife, Nymphadora Tonks. I had met both of them a few times. It still shook me a little to know I would never be able to see them again.

The doors to the castle opened. I saw the doors to a huge dining hall close as the last of the Durmstrang boys filed in. I saw a little bit of smoke come out of the hall. We were all ordered to get into our positions. I placed my broom outside the doors. I fell back into my place. The doors flew open.

"Please welcome Beaxbaton and Madame Maxime!" Headmaster McGonagall called from the front of the dining hall.

Five acrobats went running down the main aisle. They flipped and twisted in the air. Next went the best transfiguration students from each house in the form of their house's animal. They did their own little animal dance. I led the next group of people in. They split around me. I pointed my wand at the sky. I said the incantation. I did the same fire whip thing Professor Pinns had shown us, except I made the fire silvery blue. A seventh year ran by. The fire went from the tip of my wand to hers. She began to twirl it around like a ribbon as she twirled down the aisle en pointe.

"Accio Nimbus," I whispered. My broom came zooming toward me. I hopped on sideways with an amount of grace I did not even know I had. I crossed my legs. I created a circle of silvery blue fire a few feet away and a couple feet higher. I road the broom right through without getting burned at all. The fire disappeared. I put my wand away. I did a loop in the air. I landed and hopped off my broom next to Ursula. She was smiling at me but her hair was in her face.

Everyone began clapping. I realized Madame Maxime had finished her walk down the center aisle. She was looking around with a smile. Headmaster McGonagall asked us to sit down. I was pushed by the crowd to one of the long tables. The banner over the table said "Ravenclaw".

Headmaster McGonagall began talking about the Triwizard Tournament. The age minimum age you could be was sixteen. You had forty-eight hours to submit your name. There was a spell around the goblet to make sure no one under sixteen tried to enter their name. Then she unveiled the goblet of fire. I stared at it in amazement. Then there was food on our plates and we were ordered to eat.

I only partially listened to the conversations going on between the Hogwarts students and my school. I resisted every urge I had to turn and look at the table where Durmstrang was sitting. I knew my uncle was there. Professor Swarvosk was probably back on the ship where the Durmstrang boys were staying. Maybe I could find some time to sneak off and talk to them. I probably would not be able to without being caught. I did not want to risk that right now. Something told me I did not want to miss the Triwizard Tournament.

After dinner Beaxbaton was the first to leave. We got back in our lines and filed out. I managed a furtive glance at the table where Durmstrang was. They were all staring at us in awe. I held my chin a little bit higher. I began to wonder if any of them even recognized me. I had not been able to see my uncle.

Ursula instantly became lively again after we got into our carriage. She had been quiet as a mouse all during dinner. She had kept her head down as much as possible. I did not realize until then just how shy she was. We had just finished changing into our pajamas when there was rapid knocking on the door. I was turning the doorknob when there was more rapid knocking. I opened the door. It was Trudy. If I had been shocked I would have had to have been extremely thick-headed.

"He was amazing!" Trudy exclaimed, running into our room. She twirled. She smacked Ursula with her long braid. She did not even notice. "I just can't believe how amazing he is!"

"Me either!" Ursula exclaimed, rubbing her nose. "Now who are we talking about?"

"Collin Bridger!"

"Again, who are we talking about?" I asked.

"A boy from Ravenclaw! He was so smart! And funny! You have no idea! I can't wait for my first class with him…" She sighed. "Well, I have to go. I'll see you two tomorrow. Bye!"

She ran out of the room. I think she had taken about three breaths the whole time she was there. I closed the door, still trying to figure out what that conversation had even been about. I closed the drapes on my bed. It was much easier to fall asleep without the carriage in midair. I wondered what Hogwarts classes would be like. I also began to think about who the champion for Beaxbaton was. I hoped it was someone good. Admittedly, I really wanted us to beat Durmstrang.


	5. Chapter 5

I walked down the hall next to Trudy. Ursula was on her other side. We were in our special dress uniform. It was basically the white sleeveless dress, white tights, and heels with the jacket. We were supposed to wear that to classes at Hogwarts. My grandmother had gotten me about four dress uniforms so I was all set. Some people had to wash and dry their uniforms everyday.

Anyway, Trudy, Ursula, and I were on our way to Potions. Apparently the professor, Professor Slughorn, did not like it when people are late. It was our last lesson of the day. We were practically running there. We ended up getting there early.

A group of Durmstrang boys were waiting outside too. I recognized Argius Kakef. After not seeing him for almost a month he looked different. He did not recognize me at all. None of the Durmstrang boys had. Maybe it was because I had finally started wearing my hair so it was neat and not in some wild messy bun thing on top of my head. Also, I was not wearing dirty jeans and an oversized sweater.

Professor Slughorn let us in. I sat at a back table with Ursula. I like Trudy a lot, but I would much rather have Ursula as my potions partner. Trudy would possibly blow up the castle. Ursula on the other hand would possibly invent a potion that could heal the worst wound on earth with one drop. Professor Slughorn began taking attendance.

"Lynx?" he called.

"Here," I said.

All the Durmstrang boys turned to stare at me. I ignored them. I still had the ability to pretend they were not there. Eventually they turned back around. I managed to get through the entire class without really even noticing the Durmstrang boys. Except after the class was over. That was when I flew out of there at the speed of light. Trudy was right on my tail.

"Why were they all staring at you?" she asked. "Do you know them?"

"Kind of," I responded. "I really need to work on my homework. Bye."

I took a side hall to avoid talking more to Trudy. Ursula, who had been there at dinner when I announced that I had gone to Durmstrang, got the hint. She pulled Trudy along behind her on her way to the library. I tried to go straight to the carriage. Instead I was intercepted by a group of Durmstrang boys. I recognized the leader as Gunther Ocopula. He was a complete asshole.

"Hi, Rory," he said. "I heard a rumor you had transferred to Beaxbaton. I didn't believe it. That's a school for girls only, isn't it?"

I crossed my arms because I did not want to say anything that would get me in trouble.

"What? Now you're dumb? You always had a mouth on you before. Where're those quick comebacks now? Huh? Huh?"

He pushed me back so hard I almost fell over. I managed to catch myself though. See? I told you he was an asshole. He pushed me again. I felt like boiling water had suddenly been injected into my veins. I dropped my book bag. I pulled my fist back. Gunther looked a little fearful. Before I could punch him he crumbled to the ground. Daniel stood there, twirling a wooden dough roller.

"I'd say that should do it," he said.

He walked away whistling. He tossed the dough roller in a box. The box had what looked like jars of spices in it. He went back into the carriage. Gunther and his group of buddies ran away. I picked up my book bag. I hurried into the carriage. I saw Daniel's foot disappear around a corner. I ran to catch up to him. When I got to the hall he was gone.

I went into the dining hall. I sat at the Foxten table. I started on my homework like many other students in the hall. Ursula sat next to me a half hour later. I asked her where Trudy was. She said Trudy was talking to Collin Bridger. I had a feeling she would not be back for a while.

I finished my homework before I even realized it. I had just put my book bag in my room when we were called to line up. Like the day before, we trekked across the grounds to the castle. The Durmstrang boys let us go in first. I caught a glimpse of my Uncle Romulus. He had trimmed his beard so it was closer to his face. I had always told him he should do that. He smiled at me. I barely nodded back.

My school split up to sit at one of the four different tables. I spotted Trudy's red braid bouncing toward the Ravenclaw table. I did not want to disturb her time with the great Collin Bridger so I sat across from Emma Etements at the Gryffindor table. Ursula sat next to her. Headmaster McGonagall stood. She reminded us there were only twenty-four hours left to enter our names into the goblet.

"I wish I could enter," a Hogwarts student said to my left. He looked at me. He nodded. "James Magnia. Fourth year."

"Rory Lynx," I said. "I'm a fourth year, too."

"I'm Emma Etements," Emma said. "I'm only a third year."

I looked at Ursula. She kept her head down. Her cheeks were pink. "Introduce yourself," I whispered to her.

Ursula barely looked up. "Ursula Jutt," she said quietly. "Fourth year."

"Nice to meet you," he said. He scratched his blond head. "Were you two in my Potions class this afternoon?"

I did not recognize him. "No, I don't think-"

"Yes," Ursula said timidly.

"That's what I thought." James pointed at her. "You were the first to finish. Professor Slughorn just might let you into the Slug Club if you keep it up."

"What's the Slug Club?" Emma asked.

"It's a group of students that Professor Slughorn invites to dinner parties. Basically, it's the best students with a lot of potential or students with famous relatives."

"I doubt I'd get in, then," Ursula said.

"Well, your aunt writes those biographies," I said. "I picked up the one about Farrah Foxten but I haven't finished it yet. It's really good."

"Is your aunt Harriet Jutt?" James asked her.

"Yes." I have no idea how he heard her.

"I love her books. The fiction ones are my favorite. The Minister's Assistant series was really good. But why did she end it like that?"

Ursula looked up. She pushed her hair out of her face. James was a little taken aback. She smiled. Her shyness was fading. "It's not the real end."

"Then what is? The third book was the last."

"The third book was the last in that series. My aunt likes her readers too much to leave a book with a cliffhanger like that. The sequel series is coming out in a couple weeks."

"It wasn't really that much of a cliffhanger."

"Not that much of a cliffhanger? Douglas was falling off a clock tower as Magnolia watched him from her broom and the Minister of Magic waited below!"

"It's obvious Douglas was going to die."

"What if Magnolia was going to save him?"

"Magnolia is a heartless, sarcastic bully who was probably clapping as she watched him fall. And the Minister of Magic wouldn't be able to do anything."

"Magnolia is only like that because no one ever gives her a chance. Douglas gave her a chance. She has a soft spot for him. Besides, even if I hated someone I would save their life."

"I don't think it's within your abilities to hate someone."

Ursula raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"You're too nice."

"Hmph."

"Don't take that as an insult." James took a bite of his meat. He had not eaten the whole time he had been talking to Ursula. "You Beaxbaton girls are so touchy."

Ursula shrugged. "Or you Hogwarts boys just don't know what not to say."

I looked at Emma. "Do you feel left out?" I asked.

"Yes," she responded. "But it is kind of interesting, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes, very."

"I heard you had a run in with some old friends earlier today."

"It was nothing, really, just some old jerk. He hasn't changed at all."

"I'm sure you've taken them all by surprise. The Durmstrang boys, I mean."

"I suppose. I mean, I haven't changed that much."

"Yes, you have. You look different. You also act a little different. You act more proper. But, there's still that same Rory in there as when you arrived at Beaxbaton. She'll probably never go away."

"Let's hope not. She's very interesting."

Emma laughed. "Yes, she is. Speaking of interesting, did you happen to hear about the groundskeeper, Hagrid, and Madame Maxime?"

"No."

"Apparently they're dating."

"Really?" I looked up at the staff table. I spotted Hagrid right away. "He doesn't seem her type."

"Well, you never know. Looks aren't everything. I hear he's really quite sweet. And no one really has a type. I wouldn't think the kitchen boy was your type just by looking at him, but he seems to fancy you a lot."

I almost choked on my peas. I took a huge sip of pumpkin juice. "Daniel?"

"Yes. Is that his name? I had never seen him before."

"How did you know I even talked to him?"

She shrugged. "I'm not in Foxten for no reason at all. We are the house for the stealthy."

"But-"

"Rory, don't worry. You know I hate spreading rumors. I won't tell anyone. I really am not that interested. He seems like a good friend to you."

"We really aren't even friends."

Emma shrugged. We finished our dinner while talking about who we though would be the champion for Beaxbaton. James and Ursula were still discussing The Minister's Assistant series. I listened in every now and then. It really seemed like a good series. I would have considered reading it but they kept giving away the endings. At one point James even called over two other people from Gryffindor and someone from Hufflepuff who had read the books. Soon there was a full out debate going on around me.

On my way out of the dining hall Professor la Urque walked up to me. He told me my uncle wished to speak to me. I stayed in the dining hall. The Hogwarts students all left. Durmstrang left too. Gunther glared at me as he walked by. Argius was almost out the door when he ran over to me. His dark brown hair had been cut a different way. He had bright blue eyes. My eyes were almost the same color.

"So you really transferred to Beaxbaton?" he asked.

"Where did you all think I really went?"

"We just thought you went to live with your Gram."

"But instead I went to the school of proper etiquette and high class magical training."

"Do you like it better than Durmstrang?"

"I can't really compare them. Durmstrang is my home, but Beaxbaton is an amazing school. I really like it there."

"How many fights have you gotten in so far?" he asked jokingly.

"I just punched some girl out." I shrugged and laughed. "That was a few weeks ago."

"And all the rest were secret underground fights?"

I laughed. "No. I really haven't gotten in that many fights. Well, I came close to getting in one with Gunther, but that was because he was just being himself."

"What does 'came close' mean?"

"He just pushed me a couple times. I was stopped before I hit him."

Argius scowled. "He pushed you?"

"Yeah. It's no big deal." I looked back. My uncle was walking toward me. "Bye. I'll see you around, Argius."

"Bye, Ror."

Argius walked away. My uncle came up to me. He smiled. We said hello. Before I could say anything else, someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned. It was Professor Swarvosk. I hugged her. Her long hair was out of its braid and she was in her best robes. She smiled approvingly as she looked me over.

"The tights could use some tears, but it's good enough," she said. She gave me a one armed hug. "I miss you. I've got no one to spend time with besides your cranky old uncle here." She giggled. "I finally got him to clip his beard like you wanted."

"I noticed," I said. "How's Durmstrang been?"

"Fine," my uncle said. "A bit more calm without you. We've been preparing a lot of the sixth and seventh years for the Triwizard Tournament."

I nodded. I remembered what I wanted to ask him. "Guess who my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is?"

"Who?"

"Professor Pinns."

My uncle froze. "That old hag?"

"Romulus!" Professor Swarvosk said. She looked at me. "I know Professor Pinns. She's very nice. She's kind of like my surrogate big sister."

"Yes, well she was always with my big sister so I've had enough of her. I got my eyebrows burned off when I was ten because of her." Uncle Romulus was five years younger than my mother. He was about thirty three. Professor Swarvosk was a few years younger than him. "Do you know how embarrassing that was?"

Professor Swarvosk snickered. "I'm sure it was very embarrassing, Romulus." Professor Swarvosk looked at the large clock. "We should all probably get going. I'll walk Rory back to the carriage."

"I'll go too," Uncle Romulus told her. "I don't want you walking alone this late."

We all left the castle. We talked about the difference in the classes at Hogwarts, Beaxbaton, and Durmstrang. We were almost to the carriage when Professor Swarvosk mentioned another school I had never heard of before: Cornwell Academy. I asked her where that was. She glanced at Uncle Romulus. He nodded.

"It's in America. It's the top magic school in North and South America."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's huge. I had a friend who went there. He said the campus was as big as Beaxbaton, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts combined. However, it's very elite. There are only three hundred students. There are three houses."

We arrived at the carriage. "Cool." I opened the door. "Bye."

I stood at the foot of the stairs. I looked around. No one was there. I ran down the hall where I had seen Daniel disappear earlier. I could smell some food cooking. I went down two more long halls. I came to the kitchen. I peeked in. Busy was making a stew and Chef Eleanor was dressing some meat. I did not see Daniel anywhere.

"Looking for someone?"

I jumped and turned. Daniel was standing there smirking. "Maybe," I responded.

"Maybe if you gave me a real answer I could help you."

"I don't need any help."

"Clearly."

"I just wanted to thank you for earlier, even though I had it completely under control."

"Of course you did." He began walking down the hall.

After a few seconds I ran to catch up with him. "I did have it under control."

"I just said you did."

"But you didn't mean it. You probably think I'm some weakling."

"No, I just wanted to put that jackass in his place."

"Because you thought I couldn't do it by myself."

"No, I knew you could do it by yourself, I just beat you to it."

"Well, don't you feel special?"

He laughed. "Do you have this need to be mad at me?"

"No, I have a need to prove I don't need anybody's help."

"I've established that."

I rolled my eyes. I folded my arms as I kept walking next to him. "Do you play Quidditch?"

"I would make a fair Beater or Keeper."

"Good. Meet me at the pitch tomorrow after lunch hour with a Quaffle and a broom."

"No problem. See you then."

We split and went down two separate halls. I went back to my dorm. Ursula was up rereading the first book of The Minister's Assistant. I changed into my pajamas. Ursula flipped a page quickly. I looked at her. She was staring intently at the page. "James is an idiot," she mumbled.

"So will my bridesmaid dress be pink or purple?" I asked.


	6. Chapter 6

I was talking to James and his friends Carson and Janelle when Headmaster McGonagall stood up. Everyone fell silent. They watched her. Ursula slid in between James and Carson across from me. She looked up at the blazing goblet. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Everyone gasped when a piece of paper flew out of the goblet.

"The champion for Hogwarts!" Headmaster McGonagall said, reaching for the paper as it fluttered down. She read it. "Ginny Weasley!"

Everyone clapped wildly as a seventh year from the Gryffindor table walked to a door in the back. She was smiling brightly but also looked nervous. Another paper flew out of the goblet.

"The champion for Durmstrang!" She read the paper. "Oscar Ivorio!"

I clapped. I knew Oscar. He was a nice guy and could cast some wicked spells. He went to the door in the back of the room. His face was a mask. The last piece of paper flew out of the goblet.

"The champion for Beaxbaton!"

I could see Ingrid Etements crossing her fingers. I hoped that paper had her name on it. Everyone watched Headmaster McGonagall intently. It was the last champion to be announced. Then the Triwizard Tournament would officially begin. All eyes were on the little piece of paper as it fluttered slowly down into the headmaster's hand. Everyone watched as it was smoothed out. Everyone watched as Headmaster McGonagall's face changed from bright and cheerful to confused. Still, she called the name.

"Aurora Lynx!"


	7. Chapter 7

I froze. My eyes were glued on that piece of paper. Ursula reached across the table. She tapped my arm. She motioned for me to get up. I did. What did I do now? Headmaster McGonagall called my name again, louder. I began to walk toward the door. All heads turned to face me. I heard whispering left and right. I wished I could join them just in case one of them knew how this had happened.

I looked at Madame Maxime. She was staring at me. I walked into the back room. Ginny Weasley looked at me suspiciously. Oscar was totally confused. After a few minutes Headmaster McGonagall walked into the room. Madame Maxime and Headmaster Karkaroff were with her. They were all staring at me.

"How did this happen?" Karkaroff demanded.

"I don't know," I said.

"Someone else must have entered her name," Headmaster McGonagall said. "That is what happened with Harry Potter. However, his was a trap. Why would someone enter your name?"

"She has no family besides her grandmother and uncle," Madame Maxime said. "Her mother is dead and her father is unknown. Do you think it could possibly have something to do with him?"

"Ms. Lynx's father is…" Headmaster McGonagall looked at me. "It could not be him, I know that for sure."

Everything was pushed to the back of my mind after that. "You know who my father is?"

"That is not something to be discussed right now. We must figure out who entered your name."

"Does it really matter?" Ginny Weasley asked. "She is in the tournament now. She can't back out."

"But she is too young."

"Harry was 'too young' also, and he almost won."

"He was helped by an imposter."

"But not anymore than any of the other champions."

"I agree with Ms. Weasley," Oscar said. "I believe Rory should just move forward in the competition like the rest of us."

"I also agree," Karkaroff said.

"Me too," Madame Maxime said.

"Very well, then," Headmaster McGonagall said.

After as I was heading back to the carriage I was in complete shock. I was walking alone because Madame Maxime still had some business to attend to back at the castle. I was reaching for the carriage door handle when it opened. Daniel stepped out. Our hour long Quidditch practice session had actually been very fun. The Puking Pastels work wonders.

"Want to go for a walk?" he asked, closing the carriage door.

"Anything that will delay having to face the people who actually entered their names," I replied.

Daniel put his hands in his sweatshirt pocket as we walked. "So, you're the Beaxbaton champion?"

"Yes. Listen, I didn't ask someone else to put my name in or trick anyone into doing it! I had no interest at all! When she called my name I didn't believe it at first and-"

"Calm down. I believe you. Do you have any idea who could have put your name in?"

"No. I mean, I originally guessed my uncle, but he was always too protective of me."

"Any other guesses?"

"No. They said this has happened before, but it was a trick for Harry Potter."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that."

"Then Madame Maxime suggested it might have been a trick by my father. Maybe he was trying to reach me."

"Who's your dad?"

I looked down at the ground.

"Oh."

"Hang on a second." I paused so I could take off my shoes. I carried them in my hand as we walked a little more. "What's it like working in the kitchen?"

"Boring, sometimes. My dad keeps it interesting, though. I just wish I could actually go to a school rather than just have Professor la Urque tutor me."

"Professor la Urque is your tutor?"

"Yes. He has been since I was eleven. Since he can only work with me a couple hours a day he tutors me during the summer too."

"I think they should allow you to go to the classes. I went to the classes at Durmstrang."

"Yes, but you of all people should know Durmstrang and Beaxbaton are very different."

"Have you ever considered going to another school?"

He shrugged. "My parents think I'm going to become a great chef like them and that going to a magic school won't help me."

"But what do you want to do?"

"I want to be an Auror."

"Do you really think you could track down and capture all those big, bad witches?"

"Yes, I do think I could track down and capture all those big, bad witches. How about you? Or have you not given any thought to what you want to do?"

"I have given it thought. I think being a teacher would be nice."

"What kind of teacher?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, probably."

"I could picture you as more of a History of Magic teacher. You know, boring subject, boring teacher."

"I am not boring!"

"Fine, I won't hurt your feelings and I'll say you aren't."

I smacked him on the back of the head. He started to chase me. I tripped and rolled down a small hill. I jumped right back up. I started sprinting again. It was not until the bottom of my dress caught onto a thorn bush that I stopped to look around. I was surrounded by trees and almost complete darkness. A little bit of the moonlight was getting through the trees. I got my dress hem off the bush. I spun in a circle. I was in the Forbidden Forest.

"Daniel!" I called.

"Rory?" someone called back. It was Daniel.

I got an idea. "Walk toward my voice!"

I tore off part of the bottom of my dress. I scraped my palm with some thorns. I wrapped the fabric from my dress around my palm. I threw it on the ground once it had a pretty impressive bloodstain on it. I tossed my hat ten feet ahead. I threw my coat even farther. I hid behind a tree. I screamed at the top of my lungs. I hid behind a tree. Daniel came running. He almost ran right into the thorn bush. He looked at the ground. He spotted the bloodstained fabric, the hat, and the coat. He ran up to the coat.

I stepped out from behind the tree. I tiptoed forward, careful to avoid any twigs or branches. I still had my shoes in my hand. I suddenly got cold. It must have been because I did not have my coat on. It really was not that heavy of a coat, though. I kept walking up behind Daniel. He did not hear me at all. I looked at my hand. It was still pretty bloody.

I tapped Daniel's shoulder with my bloody hand. He looked to the side. When he saw the bloody hand he jumped about ten feet in the air. I was sad he did not scream like a little girl. He spun, pointing his wand at me. I smirked. He put the wand away. He threw my coat at me. "Don't scare me like that," he said.

I put my coat back on. I was still freezing. "Why not? You don't even scream embarrassingly." I shivered. "Is it just me or is it really cold?"

"It is really cold. Come on."

I put my hat in my deep pocket and followed Daniel as he led the way out of the forest. The moonlight seemed to be fading as it got colder. I saw frost forming on some of the trees. It was forming very quickly. That was not normal. I stopped Daniel. His hand was freezing.

I began to have difficulty breathing as the air got colder. I felt the happiness draining from me. I could see a dark figure in the distance. I knew it was a Dementor. What was it doing in here? It got closer. My body felt numb. How do you get rid of a Dementor? The Patronus. I could form a Patronus, but it needed a happy thought. Right now, I had no happy thoughts. Right now, I was depressed…Dying…

Daniel pushed me behind him. "_Expecto patronum_!" he yelled. A blinding light flew out of his wand tip. A large eagle flew out of the light. It pierced the Dementor right through the middle before disappearing. Daniel turned to me. "We need to get out of here," he said. I nodded in agreement. I was still numb from the Dementor attack. Slowly I began to realize I was running.

I heard a weird sound to my left. It sounded almost like a horse cantering. I pulled Daniel back just as a centaur leaped in front of us. He glared down at us. "What business do you have in the forest of my family?" he asked in a deep voice.

"We have no business, which is why we're leaving," I said. Daniel stared at me with wide eyes. "Now, if you would excuse us…"

The centaur glared at me. "You may not speak to me like that! You will pay, young human."

I pulled my wand out. I pointed it at the centaur. "Listen, Seabiscuit, I just almost got the life sucked out of me, literally, by a Dementor. You should be thanking us for ridding you and your family's forest of something like that. Also, if I were you, I would be out tracking down any of the others that might be in here and not going off on us for leaving."

"Do not talk to me like I am your equal!"

"Fine. Chew on this, great one. _Petrificus Totalus_."

The centaur fell to the ground. I walked away proudly. That will teach him to learn the whole story before going all "I am superior to you, wand waver" on me. Daniel caught up with me. I managed to find my way out of the forest. We were silent the whole way back to the carriage. Outside I looked at my outfit. I really hoped no professors or prefects saw me like this.

"Why did you do that?" Daniel asked me.

"Do what?"

"You put a centaur in a freaking body bind! Do you have any idea how much trouble you'll get in?"

"I really don't care! Today I just found out I'm going to be a champion in one of the most dangerous tournaments of all time! Then I almost got the life sucked out of me by a Dementor! Forgive me if I take it out on a centaur!"

"Obviously you didn't take out all your anger."

I realized I had been yelling at him. "Sorry. And thank you, by the way, for the Dementor thing."

"I was kind of waiting for you to cast the Patronus spell. But, yet again," he smirked, "I had to save you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess you're just so happy a Dementor can't bring you down."

"I guess so." He laughed. "I was wondering, who's your date for the Yule Ball?"

I was caught totally off guard by that question. "Um…I was thinking of just going alone, I guess."

"But you're a champion. Don't you have to have a date?"

"They didn't say that. I'm sure I don't _have_ to."

"What if you find out that you have to?"

"Then, um, I'll just worry about it then."

He nodded. "Just wondering."

I went into the carriage. I ran to my room. No professors or prefects saw me. Ursula was sitting nervously on her trunk. When she saw me she jumped up. She almost hugged me but stopped. "What did you do?" she asked. I just told her to forget about it. I took a shower in our small bathroom and changed into my pajamas. I would have to put my coat and dress in the wash. I went to Trudy that night to ask her if she could fix my dress. Without even using magic she fixed the tear so it looked like nothing had happened.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Nothing," I responded. "Just forget about it."


	8. Chapter 8

For the next couple weeks people were always watching me. I felt like an exhibit at a zoo. I tried to blend in with the other Beaxbaton girls. It would have been easier if we were still at Beaxbaton. I did not see Daniel at all. Trudy had done an immobilizing spell improperly and was now in the infirmary, unable to move her legs. I was on my way to visit her with Ursula.

"I got you a chocolate frog," Ursula said, handing Trudy the treat.

"Thanks," Trudy said hoarsely. "I can't believe I'm going to miss the Yule Ball."

"It probably won't be all that interesting," I assured her.

"Yeah, I better it will be very boring," Ursula agreed hastily.

"Don't lie to spare my feelings. I'll just stay here all tomorrow night, depressed and-"

"So, has Collin visited you?" It was a very clever way to change the subject.

"Yes, he visits everyday. He said he'll skip the Yule Ball to talk to me. I'd bet any amount of galleons he's lying. What about you, Ursula?"

"What about me?"

"Are you going to the ball with James?"

Ursula became beet red. "Of course not! We're just friends. Besides, we've both already got dates…"

"Really? Who are you going with? And why haven't you told me?"

"I'm going with Orion Ivorio."

"Um, his name is Oscar."

"No, he has a brother who is a fourth year," I said. "His name is Orion." He was the total opposite of James. He hated learning and books and thought spells should only be used to humiliate people. "Are you sure you want to go with him?"

"Well, no one else has asked me. I'm sure he's a very kind person once you get to know him."

"Does James like him?" Trudy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter what James thinks, now does it? I'll see you both later."

She walked away quickly. A few students from Hogwarts came in to visit someone with a broken leg. Automatically Ursula looked down so her hair fell in her face. I had no idea how she did not walk into the wall. I guess it was a skill she had acquired after being shy for so long.

"Who's your date?"

"I haven't got one," I replied.

"But you're a champion. You have to have a date."

"Says who?"

"Everyone! Now go! You have less than twenty-four hours to find a date!"

I tried to speak a couple times but Trudy kept cutting me off. I walked away indignantly. I passed a group of Durmstrang boys in the entrance hall. Argius was in the group. I nodded at him as I went by. He broke off from the group. He bowed to me. I knew what was coming next.

"Would you care to accompany me to the Yule Ball?" he asked, being more formal than he had to around me.

"Yes. But, you do know you have to dance, right?"

"Yes, I do. But, do you?"

"I am very balanced on my feet. I'm the one who walked along the fence, not you."

"True. And by the way, I would have asked you to the ball then, too."

"Thank you."

He bowed then walked off again. He high-fived one of his friends. I walked back to the carriage. My stomach growled loudly. I had spent my lunch hour finishing homework I had not done the night before because I had dozed off. I went straight to the kitchen. Busy made me a small plate without thinking twice. He sang as he worked. Chef Eleanor handed me a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Thank you," I said.

She nodded. I dug into my food. Busy asked where Trudy was. I told him about her little incident. He began laughing his deep, echoing laugh. Suddenly he clapped happily. I turned to see what he was looking at. Daniel had just come in with a large sack of flour.

"Now I can make cinnamon bread!" Busy exclaimed.

Daniel walked over to where I was sitting in front of the fireplace. He sat next to me. I did not say anything until I had finished my whole plate. I could smell the cinnamon bread as it began to bake.

"Hey, stranger," I said to him.

"Hi," he grunted.

"Someone sounds crabby."

"No." He stretched his arms. "I was playing Quidditch with some of those Slytherins and I got hit by a Bludger. It still hurts." He arched his back to stretch it. "So, you ready for the Yule Ball, champion?"

"I guess. Argius asked me a little while ago to be his date."

"That's great."

"You've talked to him."

"No, but I know who he is." He scratched his nose. He looked to the side. "I didn't really know you liked him that much."

I shrugged. I put the empty plate on the ground. "Well, I don't really know if I do. He and I were kind of friends. He basically said he liked me even if I while I was at Durmstrang. He seems kind of different now."

"I really didn't understand any of that but okay!" He gave me a thumb's up. He stood. "I probably have something to do around the kitchen, but I'll see you around."

"Be outside the carriage at nine."

"What?"

"Just do it. You'll see why when you get there."

I left the kitchen. I checked my watch. Daniel had little less than five hours to decide if he wanted to meet me. Why did I want him to meet me? It is always helpful to have a companion when you are breaking into a headmaster's office.


	9. Chapter 9

I waited outside the carriage. I was in jeans and my Beaxbaton uniform shirt, the white button up one. It was about thirty degrees out but I just tried to ignore it. I made sure my sneakers were tied. When I stood back up Daniel was walking out of the carriage. He looked at me. I raised an eyebrow. He nodded. I began running toward the castle. He was right behind me. He was a fast runner.

I stopped along one side of the castle. I held out my wand. "_Accio_ Cleansweep," I whispered. A few minutes later one of Hogwarts's brooms was in my hand. I mounted it. I told Daniel to do the same. Soon we were both hovering on Cleansweeps. That way, if for some reason we had to leave our brooms behind, they would not know whose they were.

I flew high up. Earlier that day a Bludger had gone crashing through a window in the Transfiguration classroom. I flew through the narrow window. I landed on one of the desks silently. I put the Cleansweep under the desk. Daniel followed my example. He was just as quiet as me. I went to the door. "_Lumos_," I whispered. My wand tip turned into a little ball of light. I looked down the corridor. There were no teachers. A few of the painting complained. "_Silencio_," Daniel said. The paintings became mute.

I walked down the hall. My footsteps were completely silent. I went cautiously around each corner and down the stairs. I was careful to avoid the trick steps. It came easily, like I already knew where they were. I stopped outside the headmaster's office. There were two gargoyles outside. They looked like they were newly repaired.

"Password," one said.

"Godric," I said.

"Thank you," the other said.

"How did you know that?" Daniel asked as we stepped onto the spiral staircase that moved.

"I'm a very good spy," I replied nonchalantly.

When the staircase stopped moving we stepped into the office. I went straight for a bookcase at the back of the room. I looked at the spines of the books. My wand light caused some glare on the glass, but I was able to read the titles. They were books on Transfiguration. I went to the next bookcase. It was records. "_Alohamora_," I said. The bookcase unlatched from the inside. I opened it. I looked at the titles again. I took down the book that had the year my mother entered Hogwarts.

"Why are we even here?" Daniel asked. He did not seem nervous at all, just curious. "And why are you looking at the school records?"

"I'm trying to find my father," I said. "I know this is probably not where I would find him, but it's better than nothing."

I opened the book on the headmaster's desk. I flipped to Lynx, Esmeralda. A page with my mum's grades for every exam for every year and her O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. scores was under her name. There was also a list of other achievements. She was in Gryffindor house, she was in choir, she was a Keeper, she won a Potions contest, she successfully became an Animagus in her seventh year, and she went to the Wizarding Academy for Politics. I found nothing else.

I started back at the beginning of the book. I began to flip through the pages. I read about each boy. I tried to make a list of who could possibly be my dad based on what I was told. I was just finishing with the A's when there was the sound of the spiral staircase. Daniel dived under a table. I tucked the book under my arm. I looked around. I saw a closet in the wall. I swung it open and hid in it. The door opened about an inch as Headmaster McGonagall walked in. _Nox_, I thought forcefully. My wand light went out.

Headmaster McGonagall walked into the room. She took a ring of keys out of her pocket. She opened a drawer in her desk. She pulled out a small blue box that looked like a jewelry box. She took out some more paper before pulling out a book. I guess that was what she was looking for. She put the other papers back. She forgot to put back the blue box. She locked the drawer again before leaving.

I counted to fifty. I stepped out of the closet. Daniel crawled out from under the table. We lit our wands again. I put the record book back. I locked the bookcase again. I kept looking at the blue box. When I turned away from the bookcase Daniel tossed me the box. I caught it.

"I know you want to know what's inside," he said.

I put the box back on the desk. Something fragile could be inside. I was going to walk away but curiosity got the better of me. I unlatched the gold latch on the box. The top flipped open. Three little platforms unfolded. They were all dark blue velvet. There was a small piece of paper on each. They were all burnt around the edges. The one in the middle had Ginny Weasley's name on it. The one on the left had Oscar's name. On the right was my name. I stared at the name. It had been written in printing. Every letter was upper case. I could not tell whose writing it was.

"There's more space," Daniel said.

I looked back at him. "What?"

"On the paper with your name. There's more space at the end than the others."

I looked at the paper. He was right. "There's enough room for another name."

"No, there is another name. If there wasn't that part would be burned off." He pointed his wand at the paper. He said the incantation to reveal invisible ink. "_Aparecium_."

"Daniel! Why did you just-"

I watched the paper. Slowly ink began to appear. Next to Lynx a dash appeared. A mark was appearing next to the dash when one of the pictures began howling.

"Thief! Burglars! HEADMASTER!" one of the paintings screeched.

I looked at Daniel. I slammed shut the box. We took off running. We practically jumped down the spiral staircase. When we were outside the office we could clearly hear the painting as it shouted, moving into other paintings. I heard a teacher yell to another teacher as they got closer. Daniel and I went around the opposite corner.

We ran down the hallway. We went up a flight of stairs. There was no way we could make it to the Transfiguration room. "_Accio_ Cleansweep," I said. Daniel did the same. The staircase we were on began to move. A prefect appeared in our path as we reached the top of the steps. He pointed his wand at us.

"_Stupefy_!" he yelled.

"_Protego_!" Daniel and I shouted at the same time.

Let's just say that prefect was stunned. I stopped at the next corner. Daniel looked over the railing. He announced that a teacher was three floors down, on his way up. Our Cleansweeps appeared. We hopped on. We flew as fast as we could toward the Transfiguration room. "_Alohamora_," Daniel said. The door opened. We went in easily. To our surprise, three students were sitting with a teacher watching them. I put my head down. They probably did not recognize me anyway.

Daniel and I flew out the window. We were almost to the carriage when Daniel turned left sharply. He was heading for the Quidditch pitch. I followed him. He looked back. He winked. He stood up on his broom. He rode it like that until we got to the pitch. He sat down quickly and zoomed under a tower. I followed. Daniel was easily snaking through the construction. I tried to go along the same path as him.

He pulled up quickly. I did the same. We flew straight up through one of the towers. We went out a tear in the side. We flew down to the ground in the center of the pitch. We hovered on our brooms.

"I'm really sorry you didn't find out who your father was," Daniel said.

"It's not that big of a deal," I said. Actually, it was, but I was not going to tell him that. "I guess I'll just have to go back again."

"They'll practically have the castle on lockdown after that. There is no way you could go in there again." He paused. "But if you do try, I'm going with you."

"I guess that would be acceptable."

"I'll race you back to the carriage."

"Okay, on three. One, two-"

We both took off before I said three. I wished I had my Nimbus. I would have smoked Daniel. Instead we had a tie. I sent the Cleansweeps back to the broom shed. I ended up crawling through a window in the kitchen because there was a congregation of teachers in the entrance hall. I managed to slip by behind them to go up the stairs. Ursula almost did not hear me when I entered.

"Where've you been?" she asked.

"Kitchen," I responded. "I was still really hungry."

"What'd you have?"

"Just a small plate of this and that."

"I thought you were a fast eater."

"I was talking to Daniel, too."

"Oh. Is he going to the Yule Ball?"

"Um, I don't really know. It didn't really come up."

There was a loud knock on the door. Emma walked in before I had made a move toward the door. Her face was red, like she had been running. She took a seat on my trunk. "Did you hear?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Ursula asked.

Emma paused for effect. "Someone broke into Hogwarts!"

Ursula's eyes widened. "Who?"

"Oh, they don't know yet. They think it might have been some ruffians from Hogsmeade. They went in through the broken window in the Transfiguration room. Apparently they got into the headmaster's office!"

"How?"

"No one knows. They didn't take anything or even mess anything up. A few people were in night detention when they flew out."

"Do they have a description?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Just a boy and girl. Someone said they both had on jeans. Also, the boy was wearing a red sweatshirt."

Ursula opened her book again. She leaned back on her headboard. "Interesting," she commented. "I can't wait to hear more about it."

"I hope we get interrogated." Emma began bouncing up and down. "I've always wanted to be a witness!"

"You weren't a witness."

"Well, if they narrow down who it was I might be asked if I knew where that person was at the time."

"True."

Emma said goodnight and left before she got in trouble for breaking curfew. I changed into my pajamas. I picked up my Potions textbook. I thought Professor Slughorn said we were starting a new chapter. I began to read it. After a very short while I got bored so I tossed my book back in my bag. I was about to close the drapes on my bed when Ursula spoke.

"Next time you sneak into the headmaster's office, just give me a head's up," she said.

"I didn't-"

"I know it was you. Your left index finger twitches a little when you lie."

"How do you know that?"

She shrugged. "I've got a thing for observing people. I can tell when almost everyone I know is lying."

"I wish I could do that."

"I can only tell when people are lying. I cannot tell when they are just hiding the truth."

"Do you know why I went to the headmaster's office?"

"You wanted to find out who had put your name in the goblet."

"Yes and no. I also wanted to find out who my dad was."

"You probably wouldn't find that in Hogwarts. You would do better if you looked at St. Mungo's Hospital."

"But when would I go there?"

"Maybe you can go during the summer."

"Yeah, if I make it past my biggest obstacle this year."

"Not getting expelled from Beaxbaton?" she asked with a laugh.

I would have laughed if that was the real obstacle. "No. Surviving the Triwizard Tournament."

"You'll survive."

"How do you know?"

"That person would not have put your name in if they did not think you could survive."

Now, I laughed at that. "You sound like you know who put my name in." She did not say anything. I stared at her. My stomach felt horrible. "Wait…Ursula, do you know who put my name in?"

She closed her drapes without a word.


	10. Chapter 10

I was eating breakfast with James and Ursula when Carson came running down the aisle waving the Daily Prophet. Everyone was crowding around him as he put it down on the table in front of James. Before we could read it he began waving it around again, calling people over. More people came. He finally put the paper down. My eyes almost fell out of my head when I saw the front page story.

"Professor Pinns has been sent to Azkaban!" a Beaxbaton girl shouted as the Ninetta house walked in.

I stared at the picture of Professor Pinns in chains as they brought her into a stone building. Her thick black hair, usually up high on her head, was down and tangled. Her yellow robes were torn. Her jewelry was all gone, except for a couple rings and a bracelet. The excited smile she usually had was gone. In its place was a cold look of pure hatred. Carson began to read the paper. He immediately skipped to the paragraph that told why Professor Pinns was sent to Azkaban.

"Pinns was arrested for the murder of Herald Gorgens, the famous lawyer. The detectives on the case suspected Pinns after they found a phoenix feather in Gorgens's coat pocket. Pinns is one of four people licensed to legally own a phoenix in the United Kingdom. Besides her was the late Albus Dumbledore, Hansel Bogerty, and Herald Gorgen himself. Hansel Bogerty was in the hospital at the time of Herald Gorgen's death. Pinns was found guilty by Chief Justice Embers and will spend fifty years to life in Azkaban."

"How could they just arrest her?" I asked angrily. "What proof do they have that she did it?"

"Nothing except the phoenix feather," Carson said. "I talked to Professor Pinns a couple times when she first arrived. She didn't seem like a murderer to me."

"That's because she isn't! Someone either set her up or that judge is just an idiot!"

"He's the Chief Justice," Ursula said quietly. "And he's not an idiot."

"What? Do you think Professor Pinns should be in Azkaban?"

"No, I think someone cast a wicked Imperius, that's what I think. I also think the Daily Prophet should get a better editor. They pointed out that Professor Pinns is one of the four people who can own a phoenix _legally_. There are probably at least twenty other people who own phoenixes without a license. They have absolutely no proof besides that. Either someone's out to get her or the court has something else against her."

"What could-"

"Wait!" Carson yelled. He had turned the page to finish reading the article. "Pinns was also charged with helping notorious mass murderer Sirius Black escape from Azkaban. That got her another twenty to thirty years in Azkaban."

"That must be it," James said. "Sirius Black was declared dead a year ago so they stopped looking for any accomplices they had. This murder case was just a cover up to catch Pinns."

"And what if they actually solve the murder case? And get the right killer?" I asked.

"Then Professor Pinns will stay in Azkaban," Ursula said, "for twenty to thirty years. They just needed a good reason to get her in that court room."

"This is a load of bull!"

Everyone stared at me. I rolled my eyes. Had they really not already realized I was different from their mental images of Beaxbaton girls? I got up and left. I was stopped by a bright flash as I walked through the entrance hall. I blinked about fifty times before getting my sight back. A woman with diamond encrusted glasses and bright red long nails was standing there with a photographer. She was holding a quill and notepad in her hand.

"Hi, I'm Rita Skeeter," she said. She shook my hand quickly. "I'm a reporter. Recently I became the second editor for the Quibbler. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions. Yes? Good."

She dragged me into a nearby empty classroom. She forced me to sit down. She sat across from me. Her quill began writing notes on the notepad in midair. I stared at it. It crossed out what it had written. The quill hovered above the notepad. Rita Skeeter looked at me seriously.

"This is not the first time someone under the restricted age has been in the Triwizard Tournament," she said. "The last person was Harry Potter. As most know, it was a trick to bring him across the Dark Lord. Do you think your name was entered into the contest for a similarly sinister reason?"

"No," I replied.

"Is it true you lived with your uncle, Romulus Lynx, at Durmstrang from the time you were five until recently because your mother is dead and you do not know your father?"

"Yes. He was the Herbology teacher. I was there under special study."

"Is Beaxbaton any different?"

"Yes, it's very different. I still like it, though. But, Durmstrang is my home."

"Now, does it make you sad that your parents won't be able to see you in this tournament? Angry? Clinically depressed?"

I was becoming extremely uncomfortable with these questions. "I guess it makes me sad. I just try not to think about it."

"Now, about your stance on your chances in the Tournament. How do you think you'll do?"

"I hope I do okay. I really do not know what to be prepared for."

"Mhm…Have you done any research on past Beaxbaton champions?"

"No."

Rita Skeeter fixed her glasses. "Next, for our teen readers, who are you going to the Yule Ball with?"

"An old friend."

"What's his name? Is he a Durmstrang boy?"

"Argius Kakef."

"Any relation to the famous Magical Academy of Medicine headmaster, Jeremiah Kakef?"

"Argius is his grandson."

"Yes. Back to the tournament, who is your mentor? Was it Professor Pinns, the recently arrested Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"I have to go or I'll be late for my next class."

I rushed out of the room. Rita Skeeter tried to follow me to Potions. Professor Slughorn ordered her away. For the rest of the day I kept looking over my shoulder. I did not want another encounter with her. Intuition told me that interview was going to be printed in a completely different way than it actually happened.

I finished getting ready for the Yule Ball a couple minutes early. Ursula had been ready for a while and was reading a book. We put on our coats and left. Orion Ivorio was waiting for Ursual outside. They began walking to the castle. I waited inside the carriage. A couple other girls left. Most were still getting ready. I tapped my fingers on a table in the entrance hall.

"Waiting for your date?"

I looked to the side. Daniel was walking out of the hall. He had a dishtowel over his left shoulder. He rolled up the long sleeves of his blue shirt.

"Yes," I said. "But he didn't say he would be here for a couple more minutes."

He leaned against the table. "You look nice, by the way."

I looked down at the pretty silver dress. "Eh," I said modestly. I fixed the strap of my heels. My hair was down. "At least I don't have to wear gloves."

"Yeah, I hate it when you have to do that."

I laughed. "Why aren't you going?"

"I'm not a student."

"You're a student of Professor la Urque. Besides, the entire staff of each school is invited."

"I know, it's just not my thing."

"And you think I'm thrilled about going?"

"Well, you seem to be happy you're going with that Argius fellow."

"Why do you sound angry?"

"I don't sound angry!"

"Then why are you shouting?"

"You can shout when you're happy."

"But I know you aren't happy. Why aren't you happy?"

"Just have fun at the ball."

He walked back to the kitchen. I went back to the carriage door. Argius was waiting outside. We walked to the castle. Inside a lot of people came up to me to say hi to me. Some of them I did not even know. Fifteen minutes later Professor Flitwick ordered the champions and their dates to line up. I was behind Ginny Weasley. Someone I did not know was her date. He looked extremely familiar but I could not place him. We began to walk before I could think about it more.

The champions had to dance first. I was a little surprised Argius actually knew how to dance so well. After a minute or so Headmaster McGonagall and Karkaroff began to dance. Madame Maxime and Hagrid did too.

Weird Sister supplied the entertainment for the night. They had just started playing their second song when I saw Busy and Chef Eleanor at the staff table. I asked Argius to get me a drink. I went over to them. I was about to ask them how they were when someone tapped my shoulder. No way had Argius gotten the drinks that quickly. I turned.

"Daniel?" I said. "Nice suit."

He shrugged. "Eh."

"I thought you weren't coming."

"I decided to stop by for a while."

"That's…great."

"You sound so excited to have me here."

"I'm just surprised you came, that's all."

Argius came back with the drinks. He totally ignored Daniel. Daniel returned the favor. Argius and I sat at the table with the other champions. Ginny was there talking to her date. I looked at him a couple times. Why did he look so familiar? Was he famous? Suddenly I had it.

"You're Harry Potter," I said.

"Uh, yes, I hope so," he said. "And I thought after Voldemort was gone people would stop saying that."

I stared at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine. You're Rory Lynx, right?"

"Yes."

"Ginny told me about you. Pretty scary, huh? Only being fourteen and in one of the most dangerous competitions on earth?"

"Yeah…"

"You'll probably do fine. You're parents were good wizards."

"What?"

"Your mum. She was a good witch, right?"

"Yes."

"So was your dad."

"_You_ know my dad?" Did everyone know my dad except me?

"Um, yes, I knew him. Ginny, we should go dance."

Harry and Ginny went onto the dance floor. I decided it would be fruitless to ask Harry any questions. I found it a little bit funny how I was suddenly meeting so many people who knew my father. Argius asked me if I wanted to dance. I did.

At around midnight Argius and I were exhausted. He offered to walk me back to the carriage but Ursula and I were going to see Trudy. I just had to find Ursula first. When I found her she was watching the dance floor angrily. I followed her line of vision. I spotted James dancing with Janelle. Orion was nowhere in sight. Ursula and I left to talk to Trudy.

When we opened the door to the infirmary we saw Collin Bridger was visiting Trudy. They were both too busy snogging to see us. We backed away quietly. We went back to the dining hall. Most people were starting to leave. Weird Sister was playing a slow song. Ursula and I sat at the champion table. James walked up to Ursula. She looked down shyly.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"She would love to," I said.

I pushed Ursula off her chair. James took her hand. Ursula shot me a look as they walked onto the dance floor. I shrugged. I took a sip of my pumpkin juice. Weird Sister began playing another slow song. I decided to leave. In the entrance hall I spotted Daniel. He was leaning against the wall, trying to fix his tie. I walked up to him. I fixed his tie for him since he was not doing a good job at all.

"I always had to help my uncle with his ties," I said. Daniel smiled. "How did you like the ball?"

He shrugged. "It was okay. What did you think of it?"

"It was fun."

"Where's Argus or Argius or whatever his name is?"

"Back at the ship. He was really tired. So am I, actually. I'll see you later." I turned.

"Would one more dance kill you?"

I turned back. "No, I don't think it would."

We began to dance. When I twirled I saw my uncle at the entrance to the dining hall. He was giving Daniel a disapproving look. "Seems my uncle doesn't like you," I said. "Did you spike his pumpkin juice or something?"

"No," Daniel said with a laugh. "He's just being overprotective of you."

"Shocking, really." I looked back at my uncle. Professor Swarvosk was talking to him now. She had his full attention. "No way."

"What?"

"Professor Swarvosk and my uncle…" I shuddered. "Never mind."

After the song ended Daniel and I left. We took one of the carriages drawn by the vestrals. Daniel could not see them but I could. It was because I had seen my mother die. I did not remember it that much because I was only three. Sometimes I still have nightmares about it, though.

When I got back to the carriage all the happiness from the ball was drained from me. I had something more important to think about: the first challenge.


	11. Chapter 11

The dirty looks increased a day before the first challenge. The Daily Prophet had run an article about Esmeralda Lynx. She was being posthumously charged with helping Sirius Black in the murder of thirteen people almost eighteen years prior. I had read the article. It was just another big load of bull.

I slept horribly the night before the first challenge. The three champions were brought to a tent outside the Forbidden Forest after breakfast. Stands were set up along the outside. There were three stalls in the tent with a sitting area. I had on a silver sweat suit. My hair was pulled back in a braid and I was wearing a silver headband. I twirled my wand nervously until Headmaster McGonagall entered the tent.

"In the first challenge," she said, "you will have to face three monsters scattered throughout the forest. They consist of a Boggart, a banshee and a troll. You will all be given three hours each to either capture or kill the three monsters."

Oscar and Ginny did not seem intimidated by the revelation of what the first challenge was. Had they known? That would give them more of an advantage than me. Who had told them? And why had no one told me? Was it because I was in the tournament and only fourteen?

"The first champion to participate is…" Headmaster McGonagall called from a stand. We could hear her inside the tent. "Ginny Weasley!"

Ginny took a deep breath before leaving the tent. I sat on the chair in the Beaxbaton stall. I kept spinning my wand. I took a few sips of water every now and then. Two hours later a cheer went up outside.

"The next champion to participate is…Rory Lynx!"

I opened the tent flap. I gripped my wand as I walked into the forest. I followed a dirt path for about ten minutes. Even in midday it was dark in the forest. I lit my wand tip. I looked around cautiously. My wand was not giving off as much light as I wanted. I made the ball of light bigger. It hovered in front of me as I walked. I came to a fork in the path. I decided to take the left path. I started down it.

The ground began to shake. I looked around nervously. I knew it was the troll. I heard trees rustle to my right. I faced that way. The ground continued to shake. I heard every footfall the troll took. I held up my wand. I tried to go through a list of spells in my head that I could use against him.

I was thrown into the air as a foot slammed the ground right behind me. I rolled over. The troll had come up behind me. I still heard rustling to the right. Whatever that was I would have to deal with it later. Right now I had bigger fish to fry.

That was it! I pointed my wand at the troll's wooden club. "_Incendio_," I shouted. His club let on fire. He was too stupid to drop it so he just started swinging it around. That was so going to make the centaurs angry. I pointed my wand at the flames again. "_Folluis Maximus_!" Some strings of flames from the burning club flew down to connect to my wand. I flicked my wrist forward. The flames wrapped around the troll's ankles. I did it again and again. The flames kept encircling him. Soon he was engulfed in flames. There was nothing he could do anymore. I kept walking on the path as his ashes fell to the ground.

The rustling to my right was still going on. Would it be best to wait for whatever that was to approach me or should I approach it? I had about two and a half hours left, but I also had one monster down. I would wait for it to approach me. It stopped a few minutes later anyway.

I heard a screeching sound ahead. It was the banshee. I walked forward cautiously. I came into a clearing. A young woman in all white was in the middle of the clearing. She was washing something in a pail of water. It was a bloody shirt. She began to moan loudly then started screaming and wailing.

I stepped forward. The banshee looked up at me quickly with black holes for eyes. I got a sick feeling in my stomach. She shrieked even louder than before. "_Silencio_," I said, more out of annoyance than anything else. The banshee was cut off. She looked at me angrily. She went back to her washing like I was not there. Why would I have to capture her or kill her? She did not really seem like a monster.

Suddenly she flew at me. I ducked. I felt a cold wind go across my back. I ran forward. I jumped over the pail of water. I turned. The banshee was coming back toward me. "_Wingardium Leviosa_!" I yelled. The large pail flew up. It hit the banshee in the face. She tried to scream but could not. She flew at me again. I tried to think of spells that would be good for killing a banshee. I had nothing.

She grabbed my shoulders. She flung me against a tree. She forced me to look in her black eyes. I saw all my friends and family dying as she washed their bloody clothes. I tore my eyes away. I kicked her back. I held my wand up. I had decided to risk casting the spell I had in mind. I had no idea what affect it would have on the banshee.

"_Expecto Patronum_!"

A white flash shot out of my wand. A wolf, my Patronus, ran at the banshee. It leaped at her, sinking its teeth into her neck. The banshee disappeared in a bright flash with a silent cry. My Patronus evaporated. Two monsters down, one to go.

I began walking again. I wondered what shape the Boggart would take. I looked around, trying to find it. I still had a couple hours left.

A half hour later I came to the end of the narrow path I had been following. I stepped off of it. I pushed branches out of my way as I walked deeper into the forest. I was careful to avoid any of the suspicious looking plants. You never know what those might do. They could eat you or start singing. Either way, it could be terrifying.

I heard a weird sound behind me. I turned. From the shadows a figure was appearing. I made my wand light bigger again so I could see what it was. Well, I knew it was the Boggart, but I did not know what shape it was going to take. Then the light showed on it. The Boggart was in the shape of a werewolf.

"_Riddikulus_!" I shouted shakily.

The Boggart howled. Nothing happened. It started forward. "_Riddikulus_!" I tried again. Still, nothing happened. I began to run. The Boggart followed behind me. My heart was going a mile a minute. I am deathly afraid of werewolves, in case that was not completely obvious.

I tripped over a rock jutting out of the ground. Are you kidding me? I jumped back up. The Boggart was right behind me. I wished I could run faster. I wished I could actually fight back against the Boggart without just my wand. It was totally worthless if I could not even cast a spell properly with it. I just wished I could have more power.

Extreme pain seared through my muscles and bones. I screamed as I fell to the ground. Even the Boggart was a little taken aback. I let go of my wand. I tried to stand up but was knocked down again by the pain. I knew the werewolf had not bitten me so what was going on? When the third wave of pain came, the worst one, I tried to scream again. Instead a loud bark came out.

I looked down. My hands had been replaced by light brown paws. I could hear the Boggart's every little breath as it got closer again. I spun quickly on all fours. I felt my tail move. My fur bristled. I was a wolf!

I ran at the Boggart. I pounced on it. I scratched at the Boggart's face. It began to bleed. It threw me off. I rolled back a couple times. I tried to get back into human form again. With a huge burst of pain I was on my hands and knees. The Boggart came forward. I snatched my wand up off the ground. My confidence had boosted immensely.

"_Riddikulus_!"

The Boggart turned into a Chihuahua. It tried to bark menacingly. I started cracking up. The Boggart exploded. I ducked as goo went flying over my head. I looked back at the tree it had splatted against. Poor elm.

I found my way back to the path. I began running along it to get out of the forest quicker. My light bobbed ahead of me to show me the way. I was almost to the end of the path when there was a weird sound nearby. I stopped. I walked off the path. I went around a couple trees. Mist rolled along the ground as I walked toward the noise. It got louder as I went around a thick tree.

A unicorn was lying on the ground. It had a large cut on its side. It was barely clinging to life. I walked over to it. It looked at me with bright blue eyes. It was crying. I sat next to it. I began to pet it. The unicorn closed its eyes. It rested its head on my lap. I looked at the cut more closely. It was too deep for me to do anything for it. By the time I reached anyone who could help it would be too late.

The unicorn wailed loudly. Its gold horn seemed to become duller. It put its head back down. I continued petting its mane for a few more minutes. Its chest slowly stopped moving. When it stopped moving altogether I gave the unicorn a final pat on the head. I got up and walked away. When I looked back the unicorn was gone.

I went down the path again. A loud cheer went up as I stepped out of the forest. Headmaster McGonagall led me to Madame Pomfrey, who gave me a quick check up while Oscar Ivorio headed into the forest. I only a few scratches, cuts, and bruises. Afterward I joined Ursula in the stands. Trudy was still in the hospital, but for a different reason now. She had a bad stomach bug that was going around.

"You have a better time than Ginny did," Ursula told me.

"And she had a broken arm," James added from her other side. "You look like you've only been on a pleasant hike."

"It was far from that," I said.

"Yeah, we saw some flames," Ursula said. "What did you do?"

"I burned the troll."

"What did you do for the banshee? And the Boggart?"

"I used my Patronus to kill the banshee and I, uh, just dealt with the Boggart the same way anyone else would."

Ursula looked at me skeptically. "I'll be expecting the truth later," she whispered.

I focused on the forest again. Every now and then I saw a tree branch sway or heard a distant sound. Oscar came out a little over an hour and a half later. He had the best time. I came in second and Ginny came in third. After the challenge was over everyone left the stands. Only a few people remained to talk with friends. I sat there alone, staring at the forest.

"Very few people can do that."

I looked to the side. Headmaster McGonagall was walking toward me. She sat next to me in the stands.

"I did not become a successful Animagus until after I left Hogwarts," she said.

"I didn't intend it," I said hastily. "It just happened."

"I know of another person who was a natural Animagus. Both her parents were Animaguses. Your mother was an Animagus."

"Yes, I know. She was a cat."

"Yes, she was." Headmaster McGonagall fixed her robes. "Your mother was a very bright student."

"Did you read the Daily Prophet?"

"Yes. Romulus came to speak to me after. He knew your mother was always one of my favorite students, even though I do not pick favorites. Between that and Aurora's arrest, I'm afraid the police and detectives working on some of these cases are no more than daft men with pot bellies."

"Did you ever think they are not doing it willingly?"

The headmaster looked at me. "Are you suggesting someone is trying to control the police crew?"

"And the judges."

"It would take far more than one person to cast an Imperius on the members of the court system."

"There are enough people out there who are against them."

"Them as in the court system or them as in your family?"

"The court system, obviously." I looked down at my shoes.

"But they seem to just be targeting people you or your family members are close to. Hilda Swarvosk, the chef, is being tried tomorrow for robbing a vault in Gringott's."

"She would never do that! She didn't do it!"

"I believe you. However, she will have to prove that to the judge and jury. And, if your inkling is correct, it will not matter. If the judge and jury are under the Imperius she will most likely be sent to Azkaban."

"So someone really is targeting me?"

"It seems so."

"Why? Who would do that? I don't have any enemies and neither does my uncle."

"Right now I suggest you don't worry about it. I will try to do some fact finding and will notify you if I find out anything."

"Thank you, headmaster." I got up. I was about to leave, but stopped. "There was a unicorn in the forest."

"That is not very shocking. There are at least a dozen."

"But it died."

Headmaster McGonagall stared at me. "It died?"

"Yes. I heard a noise and I found the unicorn dying. I stayed with it until it died."

"That was very kind of you. Did the injury look man made?"

"I don't know. It was just a deep gash."

"Thank you, Rory."

I went down the stands. Inside the Beaxbaton carriage a party was waiting for me. I washed and changed before joining it. I was hounded with questions about what the challenge was like and how I beat the monsters. I tried to answer them as best as I could. When I was asked about the Boggart I avoided telling anyone I had learned of my new ability. I wanted to talk to the Transfiguration professor, Professor Reynolds, before anything else. I could not find him so I decided to just wait.

Professor Indiga came up to me during the celebration. She was drinking a fire whiskey. She smiled at me. Her teeth were yellow.

"Nice job in the challenge today," she said. "I had to miss it to deal with personal matters, but I heard you did well."

"I guess," I said modestly.

"I'm guessing the Boggart was probably the hardest for you."

"Why would you guess that?"

"I know you have a terrible fear of werewolves. I heard Ursula telling Gertrude that you had nightmares about them."

"Oh, um, well-"

"And becoming an Animagus is never easy. Very painful, I'm told."

"How did you kn-"

She took a sip of her fire whiskey. "I'm not an idiotic old hag, that's how I know."

She walked away, chugging the rest of her fire whiskey. I was stunned for a second. How had she found out I was an Animagus? How did she know I had discovered it while fighting the Boggart? I chased after her into the entrance hall. I stepped in front of her.

"What were those personal matters you had to deal with?" I asked.

"They're personal matters, which means you don't have to know," she said.

I pointed my wand at her. "Tell me."

She grinned. "You can't do that."

"Really? Try me."

"You attack a teacher and you'll get expelled. If you get expelled you'll be out of the tournament. The consequences for somehow getting out of the Triwizard Tournament are worse than death."

"I love how you have this perfectly planned out." I put my wand away anyway. "I don't care if you're a teacher or not. I will find out what you're up to."

"Don't count on it, _champion_."

She waltzed away. I stormed up the stairs to my room. I slammed the door. Ursula jumped. I dived onto my bed. My book bag was open on the floor with homework I needed to finish. I would do it the next morning. I closed my drapes. I did not care if I had not changed into my pajamas yet. I tried to fall asleep but it took forever.

"Rory! Rory! RORY!"

I rolled over. Ursula was shaking me. I could see very faint light outside the window. It was almost dawn. "Wha?" I asked groggily.

"Rory!"

"I'm up! What is it?"

"Headmaster McGonagall has gone missing!"

I sat up. Ursula repeated what she had just said. I ran out of the room. Everyone was running around inside the carriage. All the teachers were in the entrance hall, talking. I went back into my room. I grabbed my Nimbus 3000. I vaulted out my window and started toward the castle on my broom.

I jumped off outside the doors. I pushed them open. I ran to the headmaster's office. "Godric," I said before the gargoyles spoke. They moved aside. I ran up the spiral staircase. Inside the headmaster's office was a complete mess. Papers and books were strewn everywhere. Chairs and tables were overturned. An owl cage was completely upside down. I ran over to the desk. I tried opening the drawers. They were all locked. It looked like someone else had tried opening them too.

I ran back out of the office. The Hogwarts professors were all crowded in the corridor. They stared at me when I came out of the office.

"She was kidnapped," I said. "The office is totally destroyed!"

"How did you-"

"Shush!" Professor Trelawney said, cutting of Professor Slughorn. "The girl speaks the truth."

"Of course she does."

"I believe her," Professor Sprout said. "Minerva would not leave without telling someone. I saw her office. It is completely destroyed. I don't know who would do such a thing…"

"I've got a pretty good idea," I muttered.

I left the castle again. I sped back to the carriage on my broom. The professors were on their way to the castle. I leaped off my broom. I stomped up to Professor Indiga.

"Where is she?" I asked. "I know you kidnapped Headmaster McGonagall!"

"Why would I do that?" she asked.

"I don't know. Maybe because you're some sick minded criminal."

"You are way out of line, young lady."

"Ms. Lynx!" Professor la Urque called. "Come with me. Now!"

I followed Professor la Urque back to the carriage. He brought me into an empty classroom. He told me to sit down. I did.

"What would cause you to accuse Professor Indiga of something as serious as abducting Headmaster McGonagall?" he asked.

"I know she's got some evil plot that she's trying to carry out," I replied.

"Evil plot, huh?"

"Yes! The other day she said she could not attend the challenge for 'personal matters', then she commented on something that happened that I had not told anyone."

"What happened?"

"I kind of…became an Animagus."

Professor la Urque cleared his throat. "Well, I don't recall hearing that, so how would Professor Indiga know about it?"

"That's exactly it! She shouldn't have known about it! I think she was in the Forbidden Forest during the challenge, watching me."

"That is yet another serious accusation against Professor Indiga-"

"And I saw a dying unicorn! I stayed with it until it passed. It had an awful injury."

"And you are also accusing Professor Indiga of doing that?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm going to agree with you. I've never liked Giovanna. She's always been extremely secretive and hostile to everyone. I have no doubts she is up to something."

"But what is it she's up to?"

"Something bad, something very bad."


	12. Chapter 12

The dirty looks increased a day before the first challenge. The Daily Prophet had run an article about Esmeralda Lynx. She was being posthumously charged with helping Sirius Black in the murder of thirteen people almost eighteen years prior. I had read the article. It was just another big load of bull.

I slept horribly the night before the first challenge. The three champions were brought to a tent outside the Forbidden Forest after breakfast. Stands were set up along the outside. There were three stalls in the tent with a sitting area. I had on a silver sweat suit. My hair was pulled back in a braid and I was wearing a silver headband. I twirled my wand nervously until Headmaster McGonagall entered the tent.

"In the first challenge," she said, "you will have to face three monsters scattered throughout the forest. They consist of a Boggart, a banshee and a troll. You will all be given three hours each to either capture or kill the three monsters."

Oscar and Ginny did not seem intimidated by the revelation of what the first challenge was. Had they known? That would give them more of an advantage than me. Who had told them? And why had no one told me? Was it because I was in the tournament and only fourteen?

"The first champion to participate is…" Headmaster McGonagall called from a stand. We could hear her inside the tent. "Ginny Weasley!"

Ginny took a deep breath before leaving the tent. I sat on the chair in the Beaxbaton stall. I kept spinning my wand. I took a few sips of water every now and then. Two hours later a cheer went up outside.

"The next champion to participate is…Rory Lynx!"

I opened the tent flap. I gripped my wand as I walked into the forest. I followed a dirt path for about ten minutes. Even in midday it was dark in the forest. I lit my wand tip. I looked around cautiously. My wand was not giving off as much light as I wanted. I made the ball of light bigger. It hovered in front of me as I walked. I came to a fork in the path. I decided to take the left path. I started down it.

The ground began to shake. I looked around nervously. I knew it was the troll. I heard trees rustle to my right. I faced that way. The ground continued to shake. I heard every footfall the troll took. I held up my wand. I tried to go through a list of spells in my head that I could use against him.

I was thrown into the air as a foot slammed the ground right behind me. I rolled over. The troll had come up behind me. I still heard rustling to the right. Whatever that was I would have to deal with it later. Right now I had bigger fish to fry.

That was it! I pointed my wand at the troll's wooden club. "_Incendio_," I shouted. His club let on fire. He was too stupid to drop it so he just started swinging it around. That was so going to make the centaurs angry. I pointed my wand at the flames again. "_Folluis Maximus_!" Some strings of flames from the burning club flew down to connect to my wand. I flicked my wrist forward. The flames wrapped around the troll's ankles. I did it again and again. The flames kept encircling him. Soon he was engulfed in flames. There was nothing he could do anymore. I kept walking on the path as his ashes fell to the ground.

The rustling to my right was still going on. Would it be best to wait for whatever that was to approach me or should I approach it? I had about two and a half hours left, but I also had one monster down. I would wait for it to approach me. It stopped a few minutes later anyway.

I heard a screeching sound ahead. It was the banshee. I walked forward cautiously. I came into a clearing. A young woman in all white was in the middle of the clearing. She was washing something in a pail of water. It was a bloody shirt. She began to moan loudly then started screaming and wailing.

I stepped forward. The banshee looked up at me quickly with black holes for eyes. I got a sick feeling in my stomach. She shrieked even louder than before. "_Silencio_," I said, more out of annoyance than anything else. The banshee was cut off. She looked at me angrily. She went back to her washing like I was not there. Why would I have to capture her or kill her? She did not really seem like a monster.

Suddenly she flew at me. I ducked. I felt a cold wind go across my back. I ran forward. I jumped over the pail of water. I turned. The banshee was coming back toward me. "_Wingardium Leviosa_!" I yelled. The large pail flew up. It hit the banshee in the face. She tried to scream but could not. She flew at me again. I tried to think of spells that would be good for killing a banshee. I had nothing.

She grabbed my shoulders. She flung me against a tree. She forced me to look in her black eyes. I saw all my friends and family dying as she washed their bloody clothes. I tore my eyes away. I kicked her back. I held my wand up. I had decided to risk casting the spell I had in mind. I had no idea what affect it would have on the banshee.

"_Expecto Patronum_!"

A white flash shot out of my wand. A wolf, my Patronus, ran at the banshee. It leaped at her, sinking its teeth into her neck. The banshee disappeared in a bright flash with a silent cry. My Patronus evaporated. Two monsters down, one to go.

I began walking again. I wondered what shape the Boggart would take. I looked around, trying to find it. I still had a couple hours left.

A half hour later I came to the end of the narrow path I had been following. I stepped off of it. I pushed branches out of my way as I walked deeper into the forest. I was careful to avoid any of the suspicious looking plants. You never know what those might do. They could eat you or start singing. Either way, it could be terrifying.

I heard a weird sound behind me. I turned. From the shadows a figure was appearing. I made my wand light bigger again so I could see what it was. Well, I knew it was the Boggart, but I did not know what shape it was going to take. Then the light showed on it. The Boggart was in the shape of a werewolf.

"_Riddikulus_!" I shouted shakily.

The Boggart howled. Nothing happened. It started forward. "_Riddikulus_!" I tried again. Still, nothing happened. I began to run. The Boggart followed behind me. My heart was going a mile a minute. I am deathly afraid of werewolves, in case that was not completely obvious.

I tripped over a rock jutting out of the ground. Are you kidding me? I jumped back up. The Boggart was right behind me. I wished I could run faster. I wished I could actually fight back against the Boggart without just my wand. It was totally worthless if I could not even cast a spell properly with it. I just wished I could have more power.

Extreme pain seared through my muscles and bones. I screamed as I fell to the ground. Even the Boggart was a little taken aback. I let go of my wand. I tried to stand up but was knocked down again by the pain. I knew the werewolf had not bitten me so what was going on? When the third wave of pain came, the worst one, I tried to scream again. Instead a loud bark came out.

I looked down. My hands had been replaced by light brown paws. I could hear the Boggart's every little breath as it got closer again. I spun quickly on all fours. I felt my tail move. My fur bristled. I was a wolf!

I ran at the Boggart. I pounced on it. I scratched at the Boggart's face. It began to bleed. It threw me off. I rolled back a couple times. I tried to get back into human form again. With a huge burst of pain I was on my hands and knees. The Boggart came forward. I snatched my wand up off the ground. My confidence had boosted immensely.

"_Riddikulus_!"

The Boggart turned into a Chihuahua. It tried to bark menacingly. I started cracking up. The Boggart exploded. I ducked as goo went flying over my head. I looked back at the tree it had splatted against. Poor elm.

I found my way back to the path. I began running along it to get out of the forest quicker. My light bobbed ahead of me to show me the way. I was almost to the end of the path when there was a weird sound nearby. I stopped. I walked off the path. I went around a couple trees. Mist rolled along the ground as I walked toward the noise. It got louder as I went around a thick tree.

A unicorn was lying on the ground. It had a large cut on its side. It was barely clinging to life. I walked over to it. It looked at me with bright blue eyes. It was crying. I sat next to it. I began to pet it. The unicorn closed its eyes. It rested its head on my lap. I looked at the cut more closely. It was too deep for me to do anything for it. By the time I reached anyone who could help it would be too late.

The unicorn wailed loudly. Its gold horn seemed to become duller. It put its head back down. I continued petting its mane for a few more minutes. Its chest slowly stopped moving. When it stopped moving altogether I gave the unicorn a final pat on the head. I got up and walked away. When I looked back the unicorn was gone.

I went down the path again. A loud cheer went up as I stepped out of the forest. Headmaster McGonagall led me to Madame Pomfrey, who gave me a quick check up while Oscar Ivorio headed into the forest. I only a few scratches, cuts, and bruises. Afterward I joined Ursula in the stands. Trudy was still in the hospital, but for a different reason now. She had a bad stomach bug that was going around.

"You have a better time than Ginny did," Ursula told me.

"And she had a broken arm," James added from her other side. "You look like you've only been on a pleasant hike."

"It was far from that," I said.

"Yeah, we saw some flames," Ursula said. "What did you do?"

"I burned the troll."

"What did you do for the banshee? And the Boggart?"

"I used my Patronus to kill the banshee and I, uh, just dealt with the Boggart the same way anyone else would."

Ursula looked at me skeptically. "I'll be expecting the truth later," she whispered.

I focused on the forest again. Every now and then I saw a tree branch sway or heard a distant sound. Oscar came out a little over an hour and a half later. He had the best time. I came in second and Ginny came in third. After the challenge was over everyone left the stands. Only a few people remained to talk with friends. I sat there alone, staring at the forest.

"Very few people can do that."

I looked to the side. Headmaster McGonagall was walking toward me. She sat next to me in the stands.

"I did not become a successful Animagus until after I left Hogwarts," she said.

"I didn't intend it," I said hastily. "It just happened."

"I know of another person who was a natural Animagus. Both her parents were Animaguses. Your mother was an Animagus."

"Yes, I know. She was a cat."

"Yes, she was." Headmaster McGonagall fixed her robes. "Your mother was a very bright student."

"Did you read the Daily Prophet?"

"Yes. Romulus came to speak to me after. He knew your mother was always one of my favorite students, even though I do not pick favorites. Between that and Aurora's arrest, I'm afraid the police and detectives working on some of these cases are no more than daft men with pot bellies."

"Did you ever think they are not doing it willingly?"

The headmaster looked at me. "Are you suggesting someone is trying to control the police crew?"

"And the judges."

"It would take far more than one person to cast an Imperius on the members of the court system."

"There are enough people out there who are against them."

"Them as in the court system or them as in your family?"

"The court system, obviously." I looked down at my shoes.

"But they seem to just be targeting people you or your family members are close to. Hilda Swarvosk, the chef, is being tried tomorrow for robbing a vault in Gringott's."

"She would never do that! She didn't do it!"

"I believe you. However, she will have to prove that to the judge and jury. And, if your inkling is correct, it will not matter. If the judge and jury are under the Imperius she will most likely be sent to Azkaban."

"So someone really is targeting me?"

"It seems so."

"Why? Who would do that? I don't have any enemies and neither does my uncle."

"Right now I suggest you don't worry about it. I will try to do some fact finding and will notify you if I find out anything."

"Thank you, headmaster." I got up. I was about to leave, but stopped. "There was a unicorn in the forest."

"That is not very shocking. There are at least a dozen."

"But it died."

Headmaster McGonagall stared at me. "It died?"

"Yes. I heard a noise and I found the unicorn dying. I stayed with it until it died."

"That was very kind of you. Did the injury look man made?"

"I don't know. It was just a deep gash."

"Thank you, Rory."

I went down the stands. Inside the Beaxbaton carriage a party was waiting for me. I washed and changed before joining it. I was hounded with questions about what the challenge was like and how I beat the monsters. I tried to answer them as best as I could. When I was asked about the Boggart I avoided telling anyone I had learned of my new ability. I wanted to talk to the Transfiguration professor, Professor Reynolds, before anything else. I could not find him so I decided to just wait.

Professor Indiga came up to me during the celebration. She was drinking a fire whiskey. She smiled at me. Her teeth were yellow.

"Nice job in the challenge today," she said. "I had to miss it to deal with personal matters, but I heard you did well."

"I guess," I said modestly.

"I'm guessing the Boggart was probably the hardest for you."

"Why would you guess that?"

"I know you have a terrible fear of werewolves. I heard Ursula telling Gertrude that you had nightmares about them."

"Oh, um, well-"

"And becoming an Animagus is never easy. Very painful, I'm told."

"How did you kn-"

She took a sip of her fire whiskey. "I'm not an idiotic old hag, that's how I know."

She walked away, chugging the rest of her fire whiskey. I was stunned for a second. How had she found out I was an Animagus? How did she know I had discovered it while fighting the Boggart? I chased after her into the entrance hall. I stepped in front of her.

"What were those personal matters you had to deal with?" I asked.

"They're personal matters, which means you don't have to know," she said.

I pointed my wand at her. "Tell me."

She grinned. "You can't do that."

"Really? Try me."

"You attack a teacher and you'll get expelled. If you get expelled you'll be out of the tournament. The consequences for somehow getting out of the Triwizard Tournament are worse than death."

"I love how you have this perfectly planned out." I put my wand away anyway. "I don't care if you're a teacher or not. I will find out what you're up to."

"Don't count on it, _champion_."

She waltzed away. I stormed up the stairs to my room. I slammed the door. Ursula jumped. I dived onto my bed. My book bag was open on the floor with homework I needed to finish. I would do it the next morning. I closed my drapes. I did not care if I had not changed into my pajamas yet. I tried to fall asleep but it took forever.

"Rory! Rory! RORY!"

I rolled over. Ursula was shaking me. I could see very faint light outside the window. It was almost dawn. "Wha?" I asked groggily.

"Rory!"

"I'm up! What is it?"

"Headmaster McGonagall has gone missing!"

I sat up. Ursula repeated what she had just said. I ran out of the room. Everyone was running around inside the carriage. All the teachers were in the entrance hall, talking. I went back into my room. I grabbed my Nimbus 3000. I vaulted out my window and started toward the castle on my broom.

I jumped off outside the doors. I pushed them open. I ran to the headmaster's office. "Godric," I said before the gargoyles spoke. They moved aside. I ran up the spiral staircase. Inside the headmaster's office was a complete mess. Papers and books were strewn everywhere. Chairs and tables were overturned. An owl cage was completely upside down. I ran over to the desk. I tried opening the drawers. They were all locked. It looked like someone else had tried opening them too.

I ran back out of the office. The Hogwarts professors were all crowded in the corridor. They stared at me when I came out of the office.

"She was kidnapped," I said. "The office is totally destroyed!"

"How did you-"

"Shush!" Professor Trelawney said, cutting of Professor Slughorn. "The girl speaks the truth."

"Of course she does."

"I believe her," Professor Sprout said. "Minerva would not leave without telling someone. I saw her office. It is completely destroyed. I don't know who would do such a thing…"

"I've got a pretty good idea," I muttered.

I left the castle again. I sped back to the carriage on my broom. The professors were on their way to the castle. I leaped off my broom. I stomped up to Professor Indiga.

"Where is she?" I asked. "I know you kidnapped Headmaster McGonagall!"

"Why would I do that?" she asked.

"I don't know. Maybe because you're some sick minded criminal."

"You are way out of line, young lady."

"Ms. Lynx!" Professor la Urque called. "Come with me. Now!"

I followed Professor la Urque back to the carriage. He brought me into an empty classroom. He told me to sit down. I did.

"What would cause you to accuse Professor Indiga of something as serious as abducting Headmaster McGonagall?" he asked.

"I know she's got some evil plot that she's trying to carry out," I replied.

"Evil plot, huh?"

"Yes! The other day she said she could not attend the challenge for 'personal matters', then she commented on something that happened that I had not told anyone."

"What happened?"

"I kind of…became an Animagus."

Professor la Urque cleared his throat. "Well, I don't recall hearing that, so how would Professor Indiga know about it?"

"That's exactly it! She shouldn't have known about it! I think she was in the Forbidden Forest during the challenge, watching me."

"That is yet another serious accusation against Professor Indiga-"

"And I saw a dying unicorn! I stayed with it until it passed. It had an awful injury."

"And you are also accusing Professor Indiga of doing that?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm going to agree with you. I've never liked Giovanna. She's always been extremely secretive and hostile to everyone. I have no doubts she is up to something."

"But what is it she's up to?"

"Something bad, something very bad."


	13. Chapter 13

"PROFESSOR PINNS HAS ESCAPED FROM AZKABAN!" Carson yelled as he ran toward us at breakfast later that morning. "SHE'S ESCAPED!"

I stole the paper from him. I spread it out on the table. I skimmed it as people began huddling around. It was true alright. Aurora Pinns had escaped from Azkaban overnight. It was discovered around the same time it was announced the Headmaster McGonagall had gone missing. Many thought the two events were connected.

I was leaving Potions that afternoon when Professor la Urque came up to me. He seemed very anxious.

"Professor Indiga left," he said. "She quit a few hours ago and left without another word. No one has any idea where she's going."

He walked away before I could say anything else. I went to the rest of my classes. The next few days were kind of a hazy blur. It was the last week before Christmas break. Before I realized it, I was on the train to the station. I was staying with my Gram.

Of course, my Gram was busy so I had to find my own way to her house. I ended up riding my broom there. When I got inside I went up to the room I usually stayed in. I was just getting settled in when an owl flew into my room. It dropped a letter in my hand before leaving. I looked down at the letter. There was no return address. I opened it.

Remember this: 13 Grimwauld Place

I read it over again. The paper went up in flames. I kept repeating the address over and over again in my mind. My Gram still had not come home by late evening. I grabbed my broom again. I left the house to search for 13 Grimwauld Place.

It took me three hours to find it. I actually found 12 and 14 Grimwauld Place. I thought about the address I had been given. A house started to appear between the two already there. I walked up to the door. I knocked. There was no answer. I knocked again. The door flew open. I was grabbed by the collar and pulled in.

"Well, it took you long enough," Professor Pinns said.

Her hair was back up in its beehive. She was wearing a bright blue robe. She dragged me down the hall. She brought me into the kitchen. Headmaster McGonagall was sitting at the table. She looked very tired.

"Hello, Rory," she said. "Please sit down."

I did. "What's going on?"

"It's been Professor Indiga. She's been the one casting the Imperius on the entire wizard government."

"At first it was just to get back at me for a grudge she still had against me," Professor Pinns said, "but then it got out of control. We've found out she's starting to build an army."

"She's building an army? To do what? Take over the wizard world?"

"Yes. She learned a lot from her old boss, the Dark Lord."

"To prove just how much she had learned," Headmaster McGonagall said, "she killed an innocent creature, a unicorn."

"I knew it!" I exclaimed. "But what are we going to do?"

"Right now Aurora and I are talking with the old members of the Order of the Phoenix. Giovanna will know if we try to get the police involved."

"So we have to try to take her down without them," Professor Pinns finished.

"Can I help?" I asked.

"No, you have too much on your plate already," Professor Pinns answered.

"Did Professor Indiga put my name in the goblet?"

"No," Professor McGonagall said, "it was not her. And do not jump to conclusions, because it was not me either."

"But you do know who it was?"

"I have a hunch. Now, go get some rest. Many people will be arriving tomorrow, your uncle included."

Professor Pinns led me up to an empty bedroom. There were no pictures or anything in it. I found my trunk at the foot of the bed. I changed into my pajamas and curled up on the bed. I tried to stay awake to think over what had happened but I was not able to resist sleep.

I jerked awake. The drapes were torn at the bottom and let in some pale light. I changed. I went down to the kitchen. No one was there. I sat at the table. I saw a paper on the table at the other end. I got up. I walked to the other side. I went to pick up the paper so I could read the tiny print on it. Suddenly it flew away from my hands. I looked up. Professor Pinns folded the paper when she caught it. She put it in her robes.

"Early riser, eh?" she said. "Your mother was too. Follow me. There's someone I want you to meet."

I followed her down a hall. She went up the stairs. She knocked on the door to a study. There was a muffled response to come in. She opened the door. She led me in. I looked at the man behind the table. He was older with a gray beard and hardly any hair on his head. He folded his hands on the desk after taking off his glasses. I recognized him without the glasses.

"Rory, this is the Minister of Magic, Edgar Fickleberry," Professor Pinns introduced.

"Hello, Rory," the Minister said.

"Hello, Minister," I responded.

"The Minister is one of the few who were able to resist Giovanna's powerful Imperius," Professor Pinns explained. "He is one of the leaders of the Order of Phoenix."

"My wife tells me you are very smart," the Minister said.

"Your wife?" I questioned.

"Minerva McGonagall."

I was shocked to make this realization. I had no idea Headmaster McGonagall was married. She must have kept her maiden name. "Oh…"

"I know you were unaware of our marriage. She did keep her maiden name, unlike our daughter. She still goes by her late husband's name."

"Your daughter?" Since when had Headmaster McGonagall reproduced?

"Yes, our daughter. Giovanna Indiga."

I had to grab the back of the chair in front of me. It had been easy for me to believe Professor Indiga was up to something as bad as trying to take control of the entire Ministry of Magic. It was no easy at all for me to believe she was the daughter of Headmaster McGonagall and the Minister of Magic himself. I looked back. Professor Pinns was gone.

"Wow…" I said quietly.

"Please, Rory, sit." I did as he suggested. "I know this is hard for you to comprehend, but it is true. My daughter, Giovanna, left us at a very young age. She joined the Dark Lord's forces. She was not a very well known Death Eater. She managed to evade sentencing for many years. Recently she was almost charged again. She created the fake charges against Aurora Pinns to distract the Ministry and to get back at Aurora for an old feeling of resentment. She always loved power. It is starting to get out of control."

"And I want to help stop her," I said quickly.

"I know. In fact, I am the last person that would stop you from helping, if there are any. Do you know the one person in the world that Giovanna fears more than Aurora is?"

"You?"

"Go again."

"Headmaster McGonagall?"

"No. Try again."

"Um…?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Your mother was the only person who could beat Giovanna in a duel every time. She fears you have that power."

"I'm fourteen!"

"Age is but a number. That is why Giovanna has been spying on you. She is learning your strengths and weaknesses."

"So I have to challenge her?"

"No, we hope you won't. We are planning a…distraction. Though the Imperius Giovanna has cast is extremely powerful, the hold it has on each member of the Ministry is weaker than a regular Imperius. If a big enough distraction is caused it will break some, or many, of the members from the spell."

"What's this distraction?"

Edgar leaned back in his chair. "You will have to wait for me to discuss it a little bit more with the other members of the Order. For now, why don't you go talk with my old friend?"

"Professor Pinns?"

"No. Daniel Michella."

"He's here?"

"Yes." He looked at the clock. He smiled. "I figure by now he's blasting crumpled up pieces of parchment into bits for practice. Third floor, fourth room on the left."

"Thank you, Minister. It was very nice meeting you."

"You too, Rory."

I walked out of the room. I ran up the stairs to the third floor. I went to the fourth room on the left. I knocked a few times. The door flew open on its own. I ran in and hugged Daniel. I do not know why I was so excited. I guess it just made me happy he was going to be able to do something he really liked in the Order. I mean, he _did_ want to be an Auror. I get excited when my friends are happy.

"Why so happy?" Daniel asked.

I pulled away. "Oh, it has nothing to do with you. I just decided to run in here and hug you because I totally loath your presence." I spotted some burnt crumpled up pieces of parchment. "Practicing?"

"Maybe."

"Minister Fickleberry said you would be."

"You met him?"

"Yes. He said you were an old friend of his."

"He used to teach at Beaxbaton. He was my second tutor until I was ten."

"Well, he's here."

"I know. He arrived around the same time as me."

"When did you get here?"

"Around two this morning. I haven't slept yet. I went to talk to you but you were out cold. You snore, you know that, right?"

"I don't snore!"

"Of course not. I was only hearing things." He sat on his trunk. "Pretty scary, isn't it? About Professor Indiga?"

I sat next to him. "Yes, I suppose. I always knew she was no good."

"Yeah, I never really liked her. She was way to uptight and secretive. Professor la Urque didn't like her either."

"I know. Is he here?"

"Yup. And Professor Pinns and-"

"Headmaster McGonagall."

"Yes, and all the Beaxbaton professors really. Most of the Hogwarts professors. Some of the Durmstrang ones, too. Your uncle sent an owl saying he would be arriving by noon. Another one, Professor Swarvosk, she sent an owl too. She's coming tomorrow. Some of the old members of the Order of the Phoenix have been popping in an out. Members of the Weasely family and Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. I actually think Harry Potter owns this house. Sure acted like it."

I looked around. "It's a nice house. I wish I could live here."

"It is really nice. My mum's heading a small committee to clean it up a little. There's a room with the family tree on the wallpaper. They're considering taking it down and putting new wallpaper up. They haven't told Harry Potter about it. My mum's against it. I am too. The house belonged to the family, even if no one's left."

"No one's left?"

"No. This house belonged to the Black family. The last known owner was Sirius Black."

"So how could it be Harry Potter's?"

"You missed the story. Sirius Black…he was totally innocent. He was framed by Peter Pettigrew, an old school 'friend' of his. He was in Azkaban for thirteen years for a crime he didn't commit. After he escaped he found Harry Potter, or rather, they found each other and Harry helped him elude the police. Apparently Sirius Black was Harry's godfather."

"So Sirius Black is still alive?"

"No. He was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange." I recognized the name as the name of a famous Death Eater.

I stared at my hands. "That's terrible."

"Yeah, it is."

I looked at him. He had dark circles under his eyes. "Daniel, you need to sleep. You look exhausted."

"I'll be fine. I'll just have some breakfast and I'll be alright."

"No, you're going to bed right now and I don't want to see you walking around for at least another six hours unless this house is on fire, do you understand?"

"You're worse than my mother."

"I said: do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." I got up and walked to the door.

"No good-night?"

I turned. "It's already morning."

He got up. He walked toward me. "Not a good enough excuse. I can't sleep unless someone tells me good-night."

I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. "Uh-huh, sure."

"Okay, so I can. I just want a good-night kiss."

I stared at him. He was serious. Then he gave the slightest smirk. I rolled my eyes again. "Sleep tight, let the bed bugs bite."

I left the room. I walked down the hall. At the end was a mirror. I saw my reflection. I had on Muggle jeans and a sweater. My hair was hanging on my shoulders. I looked almost like I had before going to Beaxbaton. Had I really not changed? Did I really not _want_ to change? I mean, acting proper and dressing nice was not as bad or as hard as I had thought it would be. I guess it was just instinct for me to not follow Beaxbaton rules outside of school, even though the whole point was to make me act the same no matter where I was.

I went down to my room. I opened my trunk. I pulled out all the nice Muggle clothes my grandmother had bought for me before going to Beaxbaton. More and more wizards and witches were wearing Muggle clothes so it was alright by her for me to wear it. I changed into the outfit I had worn when my grandmother had visited Durmstrang to tell me I would be going to Beaxbaton. I went down to the kitchen. A woman with red hair was cooking something with Hilda's help. Hilda ran over to me and hugged me. She held me at arms length.

"You look so grown up!" she said. "Oh, I feel so old! Helen will be here tomorrow. She sent an owl. I'm sure you know that by now, though."

"Yes, Daniel told me."

"Daniel? Daniel Michella? Eleanor and Barnabus Michella's son? The kitchen boy at Beaxbaton?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and yes."

"How do you know him?"

"We've become acquainted over the past few months."

Hilda winked. "How many times have you sent him to the infirmary?"

I laughed. "None yet."

"And I heard a very interesting rumor."

"What?"

"You're the Beaxbaton champion for the Triwizard Tournament?"

"Um, yes."

"And you went to the Yule Ball with Argius?"

"Um, yes."

Hilda smiled. "Good choice. He's mellowed out a bit since you left. No one to pick a fight with, not that he was the one picking the fights most of the time."

I felt my face get warm. "I guess I was the instigator a few times…"

"Yes, well, it's nothing to be ashamed of. You were always truly sorry afterward. Now I have to go help Molly finish making breakfast."

I sat at the table. Next to Ginny Weasely at the table were three other redheads. One was wearing glasses as he read the Daily Prophet with disgust. The other I recognized as Ron Weasely. The other one was laughing with a girl I knew was Hermione Granger. Even thought he was laughing there a little bit of hollowness in it. His eyes were totally laughing either. Harry Potter was sitting across from Ginny. They all turned to face me.

"Morning," I said.

"Good morning," a chorus of voices said.

Professor Pinns came into the room with her robes swirling. Headmaster McGonagall and Edgar Fickleberry came in a few minutes later. An older man with red hair also came in. He kissed Molly Weasely on the head before sitting with the other Weaselys. A girl with a distant look and long platinum blond hair drifted into the room. She seemed to be daydreaming as she walked. She took a piece of fruit from the bowl and drifted out again.

"Why, is this Rory Lynx?" Mr. Weasely asked me.

"Yes," I said.

"It's very nice to meet you. I heard you did very well in the first challenge."

"Yes. I was just lucky, really. Ginny did very well, too."

"Don't try to turn this on me," Ginny said, waving her hand dismissively. "He's already given me a week's worth of praise. I'm actually rather sick of it."

"But really, I just got lucky."

"You're starting to sound like Harry," Hermione said. "He always says he got lucky."

"Did you discover you were a natural Animagus in the middle of fighting a Boggart in the form of a werewolf?" I asked Harry.

Everyone stared at me. "No, I don't believe so," Harry said lightly. "I hear that's a very painful process."

"Yeah, it was painful alright."

"That's amazing!" Mr. Weasely exclaimed. "A natural Animagus! I don't believe I've ever heard of that. No, I think I have. On rare occasions, if both parents are Animaguses, the child could be a natural Animagus. Was your mother an Animagus?"

"Yes, she could turn into a cat."

"And your fa-"

"Breakfast!" Harry said loudly as Mrs. Weasely and Hilda sent the plates flying at the table. Obviously someone was hungry.


	14. Chapter 14

I walked down a hall, whistling. I was not allowed into the kitchen where the members of the Order were talking. I heard some people talking in one of the rooms I passed. The door was open a little so I could see a group of a few women looking at the wall. I walked closer so I could hear them.

"None of them are even alive anymore," one woman said. "No one's here to object."

"Mr. Potter would object," another said.

"But he's not here, is he? Besides, he is technically not the true owner of this house. The last true owner was Sirius Black, and he's been dead for almost three years."

The women pointed their wands at the wall. They opened their mouths to say an incantation. I swung open the door. I pulled my wand. "_Avis Oppugno_!" I shouted, saying the first offensive spell that came to mind. A group of canaries flew out of my wand. They soared toward the three women. They all screamed, running from the room. "_Finite Incantatum_," I said. The birds disappeared but the women kept screaming as they ran. I pointed my wand at the door, "_Colloportus_." It flew shut.

I walked back down the hall. I went down to the first floor. I was passing the door when I heard a loud bang. I jumped back. The bang came again. It sounded like someone was trying to open the door with force. I looked through the peephole. I saw Professor Indiga at the foot of the stairs as a group of men came flying at the door again. I spun and took off. I pointed my wand at the door to the kitchen, "_Alohamora_!" It remained closed. I needed to get through that door.

I felt like someone was dragging a knife down my spine. My legs and arms were on fire. My face felt prickly. I was on all fours in an instant. I crashed through the door. Everyone inside screamed except for Headmaster McGonagall and Edgar Fickleberry. I felt less pain as I went back to human shape. Almost all the members of the Order were staring at me with gaping mouths.

"Yeah, I'm an Animagus at fourteen," I said. "Got a problem? Save it for later. Professor Indiga is trying to break in!"

"Where?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"Here!"

I heard the sound of the door splitting open. All the members of the Order rushed out of the room. I ran behind them. I ducked to avoid the spells being cast. I ran up the stairs. I kicked open the door to Daniel's room. He was fast asleep. I tried to wake him up by shaking his shoulders. It had absolutely no affect. I pointed my wand at him, "_Rictusempra_." He started to twitch in his sleep before waking up laughing. He glared at me once he was awake. I pulled him off the bed. I handed him his wand.

"What's going-"

A loud crash and a scream cut him off. He was already in his regular clothes so he slipped into his sneakers. We ran from the room. In the hall two masked people came running at us. "_Crucio_!" one shouted. "_Protego Horribilis_!" Daniel shouted. A transparent shield went up in front of us. The two masked people were a little shocked. I pointed my wand at them, "_Obliviate_." The two masked people instantly started looking around in confusion. They looked at their wands curiously, like they did not remember why they were holding them. "_Petrificus Totalus_," Daniel said. They both fell to the ground.

Daniel and I ran down the stairs. At the foot of the stairs I jumped over the unconscious body of Molly Weasely. "_Rennervate_," I said loudly as I flicked my wand at her. She started to get up. "_Reducto_!" I made a stack of broken furniture blast out of the way. I ran to the kitchen. Headmaster McGonagall was dueling a masked person on the table. Their mask was falling off. I recognized them as the custodian at Beaxbaton.

Daniel, who had been by my side, was now gone. I saw a flash of light go flying from the corner. Suddenly the Beaxbaton custodian had a blindfold on his eyes. His legs bound together. Headmaster McGonagall got off the table. In a second it was completely up in flames. I looked in the corner. Daniel shimmered into view. He had performed a perfect Disillusionment Charm. He ran toward me. He grabbed my hand and dragged me toward a door to the basement.

The second we opened the door a green light flew toward us. We ducked. It hit the ceiling, causing a fire to start. I pointed my wand down the stairs, "_Incarcerous_." I heard the person start shouting as they were tied up with ropes. "_Silencio_!" Daniel shouted in annoyance. We created light at the end of our wands as we went down the stairs. There was no one else down there. The person we had tied up was thankfully a masked person.

Daniel pushed me under an old table. He crawled in next to me. I sneezed from the dust. "What are you doing?" I asked, starting to crawl out. "We should be helping!" "Shhh," Daniel hissed at me. "You have to stay safe. What good will we be if the one person Indiga fears is dead?"

"What if someone's already killed Professor Indiga? Then I can help."

"She's not dead. If she was, the fighting would have stopped."

"How did she find the house?"

"She probably tortured someone until they told her. That was what she was best at when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was around. Cruciatus and Imperius."

"Okay, but-"

"Listen, I was told by Edgar to keep you safe and out of all fights until the distraction. It was an order."

"Do you always listen to orders?"

"No, but I want to listen to this one."

I sighed. I looked out from under the table. "I want to help."

"But you aren't going to. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you don't go upstairs."

"Fine, I'll stay and be good and useless."

"Perfect."

I looked at him. "Where did you learn to cast the Disillusionment Charm?"

"Professor la Urque. I'm not an idiot, you know."

"Had me fooled."

"Hardy-har-har."

I kept quiet so I could hear what was going on upstairs. After a half hour the door at the top of the stairs opened. I was afraid to look out from under the table. I heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. The person walked by. My wand was no longer lit up and I could not see their shoes. I heard them send the tied up masked person upstairs.

"Where are you, Rory?" It was my Uncle Romulus.

I crawled out, brushing off the dust on my clothes. I looked at my uncle. He had a cut across his face and a bandage on his arm. "Hi," I said meekly.

"Good, you're safe. We need you in your best condition." His voice was empty. There was no emotion in it.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing." His eyes were downcast.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"Helen arrived early, in the middle of the fight."

"Then why are you so depressed?"

"She…she is…"

Uncle Romulus could not finish his sentence. I felt something get stuck in the back of my throat. I ran up the stairs. In the kitchen there was nothing but ashes were the table had once stood. People were sitting in chairs against the wall. All the Weaselys were there except Mrs. Weasely. I went down the hall. There were no bodies there. I went into the first bedroom.

The bed had been moved against the wall and several cots were set up. Mrs. Weasely and Chef Eleanor were tending to everyone. I saw Headmaster McGonagall, Professor la Urque, Professor Gru, and Professor Trelawney on the cots. Chef Eleanor saw me. She quietly walked up to me. She led me into the next room, where there were more cots.

Professor Swarvosk was lying on the first cot. She had no cuts or bruises. Her face was blank. Chef Eleanor left me alone in the room. I stared at Professor Swarvosk, unable to admit to myself she was dead. She was sleeping. Unconscious. She was just here because she had a broken bone and she was try to sleep to escape the pain. She was not dead. She _could not_ be dead.

My uncle walked in. He was taking the news even worse than me. For the first time I saw my uncle cry. It was hardly noticeable, but I saw the tears. I walked out of the room. I went back down to the kitchen. Mr. Weasely had gotten some help from his sons to bring up a few tables from the basement. Daniel and Harry Potter were bringing another one up. After they put it down, Daniel walked over to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"The other professor, Professor Swarvosk, she-"

"Died," I said quietly. It sunk in quickly.

Daniel tried to comfort me. I walked away. I was starting to cry. Daniel followed me. I ran to my room. I slammed the door. Daniel opened it. I looked at him. Why did he follow me? Didn't he get I just wanted to be alone? He pulled me into a hug. Okay, never mind. Maybe I did not want to be alone. I kept crying for at least another ten minutes.

"Thanks," I said to Daniel. I did not really know what I was thanking him for.

He pushed a strand of hair out of my face. "No problem."

"Why did you…never mind."

"I followed you because I just felt I had to."

"Thanks…again."

"Just take it easy for a while. See you at dinner."

He closed the door as he left. I sat on my trunk. I stared at the large vanity against the wall. There was nothing on it and, as far as I knew, nothing in it. I curled up on my bed. I did not sleep. I was not really awake either. I was just in a passive state. I watched one spot on the wall for hours. It was calming. Mind numbing. Eventually I did fall asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

The rest of break was extremely boring and dull. My uncle left Grimwauld Place before it ended. The distraction was going to be put off for a few more weeks while people recovered. The only thing I could think about during the last few days of break was the second challenge. What could it be?

I was walking with Ursula and Trudy when I had a huge shock. I saw Daniel talking with some of the Hogwarts boys. They were from the Ravenclaw house. One was Collin Bridger. Of course Trudy had to drag us over. Ursula looked at me questioningly. I shrugged. I had no idea what Daniel was doing talking to them.

"Hey," Trudy said cheerily. "Who's this?"

"Trudy, Ursula, Rory, this is your kitchen boy, Daniel," Collin introduced. "Daniel this is Trudy, Ursula, and-"

"Rory," Daniel finished. "We know each other."

Ursula nodded with her head down. Trudy raised an eyebrow. "You know each other?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. I looked at Daniel. "Why are you here?"

He laughed. "Do you think I'm confined to the kitchen? If I finish all my work I can have some free time. I played Quidditch with these guys a few times before break."

"You never walk around in the carriage or at Beaxbaton. Wait…never mind."

He laughed again. "Want to join us for a quick mini Quidditch match? We're playing against a few Gryffindor players."

"We have homewo-"

"Hey!" James said as he and a group of his friends joined us. He had no clue he had just cut off Ursula. "Ready?"

"Yeah, we would be," Collin's friend said, "if the teams were fair. You have two more than us."

"I thought it was a full team game."

"No. Mini-game, mini-team."

"I'll play," I offered. "I'll be Seeker."

"Do you even know how to play?" another one of Collin's friends asked.

"I've got the fastest broom in the world and Victor Krum taught me to play. Need I say more?"

"Okay, fine, you can play."

"We still need a Beater," Daniel said.

"I can just use two bats," Collin said.

"I'll play, too," Ursula said very quietly. "I'll be Beater."

A few of the guys laughed. "You do know what a Beater is, right?" Collin asked. "They have to be big, strong."

Ursula looked up so you could see her face. She glared at Collin with a fierceness he was not expecting. "Gimme the bat, Bridger."

My jaw dropped a little. Where had that confidence come from? Collin gave Ursula the bat uncertainly. After a few seconds of weird silence the guys cheered. They started running toward the pitch. Trudy followed behind, walking. James was staring at Ursula. "What?" she asked him. Even though her voice was back to its usual quiet level, it had the same comfortable tone as it did around Trudy and me.

"Just don't knock me out with the Bludger," James said. "I want to see you finish this game. For the first time I just might not mind getting my ass kicked."

He walked away. Ursula and I walked to the pitch. We summoned our brooms along the way. I did not even know Ursula owned a broom. It was a Firebolt. I knew she was a fan of Quidditch. I did not know how well she could play though. It was a little funny to see petite Ursula swinging around the bat.

The game began. I looked around for the Snitch. Since this was technically a practice they had gotten the right equipment. Collin's friend Joshua was our Keeper. He was very good. Daniel and Collin's two other friends were the Chasers. James was a Chaser for the other side. Ursula smacked the first Bludger toward him. He only missed it because the force of someone throwing him the Quaffle had knocked him back a little. I think it grazed his nose. Everyone stared at Ursula incredulously. She let her hair fall in her face like usual.

I looked around. Here, Snitchy Snitchy, here Snitchy Snitchy. I saw a little flash of gold to the left. I swerved in that direction. I saw the Snitch flying downward. I followed it. The Gryffindor Seeker was all the way at the other end of the pitch. Sucker! I sped toward the Snitch. I reached out for it. A Bludger flew at me. I had noticed it too late. I tried to pull up but it hit me in the side, knocking me off my broom. The wind got completely knocked out of me. I gasped for air when I hit the ground. A few people flew toward me. I shook my hand for them to go away. They continued playing.

I caught my breath after a minute or so. I could already feel a bruise forming on my side. I rubbed it. It hurt to stand up. I stretched out a little. I saw the Seeker on the other team flying toward something small. I got on my broom with some difficulty. I took off. I flew straight toward the Snitch. Another Bludger flew at me. I ducked it. The second one flew at me. I fly right over it. I kept my eye on the Snitch.

Soon I was next to the Gryffindor Seeker. We were a few feet away from the Snitch. It shot straight up. We both went up. I moved up on my broom. I reached for it. His arm was a little bit longer than mine so I inched up more. I forced my broom to go faster. The Snitch changed direction so fast we missed it. It went right between our heads. I flipped right over and flew down. I reached out again. I was centimeters away from the Snitch. Then my hands were around it.

I pulled up on my broom so I was level. I flew to where my team was congregating. I held up the Snitch as they cheered. They were still cheering as Ursula and I walked back to the carriage. Trudy, who had watched the game, was talking to Collin. James ran to catch up with us.

"Nice job," he said. "And I saw you hit that Bludger at me."

"Well, I can't give you special treatment," Ursula reminded him.

"And why would I be able to get special treatment?"

She smirked. "Everyone knows I have a soft spot for the weak."

James fell back as Ursula and I kept walking. It took me three hours to do my homework after dinner and then Ursula started grilling me about the second challenge. Did I have any idea what it was? Was I prepared for the worst? The best? The weirdest? Would I be able to withstand some of the most extreme conditions? Did I have confidence in my magical abilities? I replied as best as I could, considering I really did not have an answer for any of her questions.

"Ursula!" I finally shouted in exasperation. "Just let me rest!"

Ursula looked down. "Oh, sorry."

I instantly felt bad but closed the drapes of my bed anyway. I covered my head with my pillow. My head was throbbing unbearably. All I could hear were Ursula's questions and all I could see were the looks of the people in the hall. I rolled over, rubbing my temples. I wondered how the other champions were dealing right now. Were they talking to their mentors? I almost scoffed out loud. Lucky them, they had mentors. All I had was a bunch of people wishing me good luck…or bad luck. Then I got a brilliant idea that I knew I would not regret at all. I sat up, throwing open the drapes to my bed.  
>"Ursula!" I said. "Will you be my mentor?"<p>

"Uh, what?" she asked, stunned and confused.

"Yes, perfect. Wake me up early tomorrow so we can warm up a little before the challenged. Night!"

Having come up with my new idea, I closed the drapes again and lied back down, the throbbing in my head subsiding as I fell deeper into sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Ursula rubbed my shoulders as my nerves heightened. Madam Maxime had no qualms about letting Ursula be my mentor as opposed to the other teachers. They were all mostly focusing on the distraction at the Ministry of Magic. I still had no idea when that was happening but I hoped they would tell me soon. Ursula gave me one final pat on the shoulder before I stepped into the arena, a chorus of voices shouting when I entered. I tried to trick myself into thinking I heard Trudy, Daniel, James, and all my professors and friends individually calling out my name. I looked up to see if I could spot them. I caught sight of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and all the Weaselys. I thought I saw Harry hold up three fingers when I looked at him but I just ignored it, thinking maybe he was having some weird muscle spasm.

I looked back in front of me, trying to decide how to approach this task. There were ten doors just standing there in the arena. Some led elsewhere, I do not know where exactly, and others were just there to trick you. Behind one was a silver Snitch. When we opened the door the Snitch would fly out and we would have to summon our brooms, then track down the Snitch. Whoever did it quickest won. It did not seem too hard, but who knew what was behind the doors.

I walked slowly toward the first door. I could hear the low rumble of whispers all throughout the crowd. I had not seen Oscar Ivorio while he was in the arena, so I did not know what was behind any of the doors. What I did know was that right after he managed to capture the Snitch he was carted off to the infirmary with various wounds that were all very grisly. It just made me even less eager to find out what was behind the door as I reached for the handle, twisting it while the low rumble in the audience seemed to become quieter and quieter until it was not even there.

There was nothing behind the first door. I pumped my fist and the entire crowd laughed, even though it was a nervous laugh. I went to the next door, a slight spring in my step. Of course there was not going to be anything behind the first door, it was the first door. Since this was the second door there could not be anything too bad or scary behind it, or at least not too hard to-

The door creaked while it opened, leading into a dark forest with mist rolling along the ground. I would have screamed profanities like no tomorrow if all my teachers from Beaxbaton were not there. I mean, who the hell knows what could be in that forest? I stepped over the threshold anyway, making sure not to close the door. It did not matter. The door closed on its own.

I walked through the forest. There was no path and I tripped several times on logs and branches. At one point I think I tripped over a human bone, which just made me hurry my pace in whatever direction I was going. I thought I heard a low moan in the distance. I walked toward it, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Where you going, honey?"

I spun, wand already raised. A woman who was around thirty with long blond hair was standing among the trees, wearing a long black dress. Her skin was extremely pale, her lips and eyes bloodred. A vampire, fantastic. At only fourteen I was about to face off with a blood sucking fighting machine. I went to cast a petrifying curse but the woman was already next to me, walking in a circle around me.

"You're so…young," she said. "A few years younger than the usual age for a champion. Did you sneak your name in?"

"No," I gulped. "Someone else did."

"Who? And older friend?"

I nervously glanced sideways at her. "Why do you want to know?"

She laughed an earsplitting cackle. "So the little witch is trying to be bwave? How admirable of one so young." She turned my chin to face her. I tried to glare at her but those eyes were just too awful to look at. "You know, there are only two ways to kill a vampire: cut them up or set them on fire. You'll never be able to do that."

I was filled with rage at her accusation that I lacked any sort of magical skills. I threw my hand up, gripping my wand angrily. "_Incendio Maximus Fiendo_!" A flame in the form of a large serpent jetted out of my wand, devouring the nearest tree in its huge mouth as it raced back toward the ground. I watched it, satisfied, until I realized the vampire was smirking.

"I can outrun Fiendfyre, how about you?" she asked before jetting off.

I stared at what I had just done, watching the beasts emerge from the fire that I could not control. I had only learned the curse from a book I should not have been reading and I had no idea how to stop it. I was startled by how quickly the fire grew, getting dangerously close to me. I started running in the direction where I had heard the moaning before.

The moaning got louder and lasted longer as I got closer. I heard the vampire up ahead, turning now and then to send a bone chilling hiss in my direction. She kept cackling as she got farther away from the fire. I was outrunning it but not by much. The moaning turned into groans and shrieks of pain. It sounded like a man. What would he be doing in the forest?

I tripped over a log just as I entered a small clearing. I got up, not even bothering to dust my silver sweatsuit off, getting ready to start running again. I froze when I saw someone curled up in the middle of the clearing. The groans and shrieks I had heard had been coming from this man. I walked closer, realizing it was not a man but a boy who was almost a man. He was totally curled up, rocking back and forth to try to ease both the physical and mental pain he was suffering from. I saw a large gash on his shin that could possibly result in an amputation. His shirt was missing, revealing jagged, deep cuts all over his back and arms. He had dirt all over him and he really needed his wounds to be cleaned.

I reached forward, going to tap his shoulder without getting his blood on my hand. He turned when he sensed my presence. I jumped back quickly. At first it was because of the crazed and pained expression on the boy's face, along with the revelation of the cuts all over his torso and face, blood dripping from all of them. A fearful sweat covered his face, dripping down the sides, mixing with his tears. I peered forward, then froze again. It was Oscar Ivorio. How was that possible? I had seen Oscar brought to the infirmary. That Oscar's wounds had not been as bad as this Oscar's were. I realized one of them was a fake. The question was: which one?

"What happened?" I asked.

"She…" he started but stopped to look behind me. I glanced back. I had been unaware of the Fiendfyre getting closer to us until then.

"She what?" I demanded quickly.

"She attacked me…then…then…went away. She just went away."

Something told me he was not talking about the vampire. I knew this was the real Oscar. I tried to get him to stand but it was too much for him. I looked back nervously. The Fiendfyre was dangerously close. "Try to stand!"

"I can't! It hurts too-AGHHH!"

He cried out with so much pain I thought my ears would break. I know my heart did at the sound. I had no idea how I was going to get out of the forest. The door was probably locked until I killed the vampire. Even if it was unlocked, the Fiendfyre blocked my path and Oscar could not walk. There was no way I was leaving him behind. I suddenly remembered something we had been told before the challenge: until after all the champions were done with the challenges, the Anti-Disapparition Jinx had been lifted from the arena.

"Can you apparate?" I asked.

"No…I can't think straight…" he muttered.

Okay, so apparating could not be too hard. From my perception all you had to do was think of a place a lot, just concentrate on that one place. I closed my eyes, feeling the unbearable heat of the Fiendfyre on my side as I took Oscar's hand. I kept picturing the arena at Hogwarts over and over, picturing myself apparating right into the middle, in front of the row of doors. I felt a tug behind my belly button before I was deprived of oxygen, unable to breathe or move or see. It was suffocating and unbearable.

I stumbled, falling back on my butt while Oscar gasped for air on the ground next to me. The crowd gasped in shock and horror. A group of medics rushed into the arena to take Oscar. I stood up as quickly as I could, pulling one of the medics to the side. I felt ready to puke. My hands were a little shaky.

"The other Oscar isn't really Oscar Ivorio," I told the medic. He nodded like he understood. "Find out who it is. If they work for a woman named Giovanna Indiga, kill them."

The medic seemed shocked by what I said but nodded anyway. He rushed off out of the arena. I knew he was not going to actually kill the person. Headmaster McGonagall and a lot of the other teachers left the stands to go to the infirmary. They would give the imposter the justice they deserved. At least, at the time, I thought they were going to the infirmary. I only barely noticed Harry, Hermione, and the Weaselys get up and leave too.

I took a deep breath, knowing I had to go on, through the rest of the doors, until I found the silver Snitch that meant my task was done. I decided to just keep going in order of the doors. I really hoped the silver snitch was not behind the tenth door. I turned the handle of the third door tiredly. I was exhausted from what had just happened. I pushed open the door, not expecting anything.

I had to duck so the silver Snitch would not drill itself right through my forehead. I smiled, relieved I had gotten it after the third door. I held up my wand. "_Accio Nimbus_!" I called. In less than a minute I was mounted on my trusty Nimbus 3000, flying at full speed after the silver Snitch, which seemed to go faster than regular Snitches.

I went over the crowd, circling around the arena couple times. I never lost sight of the Snitch but I was never able to get my hands on it either. The Snitch dived down closer to the ground. I followed it. It leveled out, flying straight, only a few feet off the ground. I got up on my broom a little. I knew I was taking a huge risk. The Snitch could change direction at any moment. It was a risk I was willing to take, though, if it meant this tiresome challenge was over.

I jumped forward, closing my hand around the ice cold silver Snitch before hitting the ground. It did not hurt as much as I was expecting but it was not totally pain free. I stretched my shoulder as some of the officials ran into the arena to congratulate me and kick me out so Ginny could go. I noticed the third door was still open so I went to go close it. Inside was just a small, square room with gray walls and white washed floor boards. It was hardly bigger than a broom closet. I thought the only thing in it must have been the silver Snitch. I was wrong. Sitting on the floor in the middle of the room was a piece of parchment. I walked forward curiously, bending down to see what was written on it. I picked it up to bring it closer to my face.

I was suddenly sucked into an invisible vortex, spiraling downward. I began to panic as I realized the parchment was a port key. I gripped my wand and the Snitch tightly. Where was I going?


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 17**_

I landed in a hallway lined with braziers that were all empty of any flames. I looked around the fancy building, catching sight of a fountain with statues on it. I realized I was in the Ministry of Magic building. No one was walking around in the halls. I had come with Uncle Romulus out of curiosity when he came for a business meeting. I remembered this hall in particular always being busy, no matter what time of day it was. There were always fires in the braziers, too, so people could use Floo powder to get in.

I walked as quietly as I could toward the statue because I was afraid Professor Indiga or one of her followers would appear and recognize me. I heard something behind me. I turned. About thirty people, all led by Headmaster McGonagall and Edgar Fickleberry. I saw my Beaxbaton professors and almost all of the ones from Hogwarts. The Weaselys were in the group, too, and a few others, including Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. I now realized what Harry had meant when he held up three fingers earlier. Behind the third door was the port key to the Ministry, where they were about to have the distraction. Well, they could have at least given me a little bit of warning.

The large group reached the fountain. I joined the crowd as they gathered around Edgar Fickleberry.

"You all have your assignments," he said quietly. "Disperse."

Groups of about five started going into the elevators, one group at a time. I waited for almost all the groups to go before turning to Edgar. "What do I do?" I whispered.

"You go with Hermione," he said just as quietly as before. "You two will take care of the Chief Justice and the rest of the Higher Court. They are all under a very strong Imperius, but it still has a weak hold on their brains. Also, the Chief Justice is a follower of Giovanna."

I looked at Hermione. She smiled encouragingly at me before we got on the elevator. We were silent as we rode down to the offices of the Chief Justice and Higher Court. "Mind if I take care of the Higher Court? They share cubicles in the same office," Hermione said. "It'll be easy to make an attack on all of them at once. It will send them into a frenzy."

"Go for it," I said. "But the Chief Justice…"

"Stands no chance against you. You're the brightest witch of your age." She seemed to grin a little as she said that.

I walked quietly down the hall to the door at the end with the gold plaque on the front that said Chief Justice Horace Bearis. I looked back to see Hermione give me a nod from where she was standing in front of the door to the large office where all the other justices were. At the same time we threw open the doors. Chief Justice Bearis looked up at me, astounded, when I walked in with my wand raised. He tried to stand up and pull his wand on me.

"_Expillarmus_!" I yelled. His wand flew back and he stumbled back a bit. He tried to regain his balance. He stormed toward me. "_Impedimenta_!" He tripped, falling right on his face. He spun around to crawl to where his wand lay on the ground. "_Incarcerous_!"

Ropes appeared and tied themselves tightly around Bearis. The more he struggled the more they seemed to tighten. I knew he was not moving anytime soon. I walked over, picked up his wand, and snapped it in half. He gasped before starting to shout at me. "_Silencio_," I said in a bored voice, aiming my wand at him. His mouth kept moving rapidly but no sound came out. I walked out into the hall.

Hermione was walking out of the office calmly, her hair only slightly rustled. She locked the door behind her with magic. She looked up at me with a smile and gave me a quick thumb's up. I walked hastily to catch up with her as she got on the elevator. We rode in silence back up to the lobby. As we got closer I could hear shouting voices and crashing sounds. The doors slid open with a grating sound to reveal complete chaos in the lobby. Almost the entire Order was there, fighting with people in the Ministry. Many of the people from the Ministry seemed dazed, but other members were shouting at them to do as they were told. I saw a very tall old man raising his wand to point it at a young Ministry worker.

"_Imper_-" he began.

I jumped out of the elevator quickly, aiming my wand at him. "_Conjunctivitis_!"

The man suddenly could not see and began walking around frantically, waving his arms out wildly. People avoided the man's path. The girl he had been about to cast a spell on spun and cast the stupefying spell on someone I recognized as one of Giovanna's followers. I looked back at the man who was still wondering around in blindness. He had dropped his wand long ago and was now just knocking people out with his bare hands. I started toward him. The door to a nearby office flew open, and a desk came flying into the lobby, getting right in my path. The man was blinking rapidly to try to fix his eyesight. That was not going to work, buddy.

"_Expulso_!" I shouted, pointing my wand at the desk.

I ducked as the desk blew up, knocking back anyone within fifteen feet of it, all of which were Ministry workers. Some suddenly caught on fire or others were hit in the head by bits of the flying desk. I could tell a few were being brought back to reality from their Imperius, but others that were hit by the bits of the desk were passed out from the force. I would leave that to the medical team that was coming in later. I had bigger fish to fry at the moment.

I looked around until I spotted Edgar Fickleberry running to duck behind a statue as a spell was shot at him. I ran and ducked behind the nearby statue, too. Edgar looked at me suspiciously.

"Why are you not fighting?" he asked.

"Where's Giovanna?" I asked him in reply.

"We entered her office but she was not there."

I was suddenly reminded of what Oscar Ivorio had said when I had found him in the forest. _"She attacked me then went away." _The other "Oscar" had been someone on Polyjuice potion. I knew who the she was, and I knew who was hiding underneath that potion. I looked at Edgar quickly but I knew I had no time to really explain what I was going to say.

"Get me back to Hogwarts," I said, "Giovanna is there."

"How?" he asked.

What sucks about not having time to explain is that you have to explain that you have no time to explain. "There's not enough time. Just get me back to Hogwarts." I turned to face the statue. "Make this a portkey."

Edgar hesitated a moment but pointed his wand at the statue. "_Portus_."

The statue glowed faintly blue for a few seconds before going back to normal. I placed my hands on it without a moment of hesitation. I was instantly sucked into the spiraling vortex, being dragged down and spinning in sickening circles. I held my wand close to me as I was about to land. I remembered to bend my knees so not too much damage would be done to my knees. I ended up in the middle of the grounds, a couple hundred yards from the castle. I started sprinting as fast as I could.

"_Alohomora_," I said as I approached the front doors, raising my wand.

The doors opened enough by the time I reached them for me to slip through. I was almost to the infirmary when those doors flew open, smacking against the stone wall. I dove behind a large statue of a knight. I really hoped it did not choose now to come to life and move around. From the open doorway emerged Professor Indiga, attired in a long black dress with long sleeves that reminded me of a spider's web. She cackled loudly before running toward the stairs, holding her wand triumphantly. Yeah, that lady was definitely psycho.

I slipped out from the behind the statue and ran into the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey and a few of the professors were lying on the floor, unconscious. "_Ennervate, Ennervate, Ennervate_," I said, pointing at each of the professors individually. I ran back into the hall after all the professors were conscious again. Madam Pomfrey, who had obviously been the last to be Stupefied, began explaining to the professors what had happened since she remembered the most.

I went down the stairs that Professor Indiga had, but I had no idea where she was going. Then again, everyone was still at the arena and casting an Imperius on all of the students and remaining professors of Hogwarts, Beaxbaton, and Durmstrang would be a great feat in her book. I started back out of the castle. I was sprinting across the grounds again when I heard something above me. I looked up slightly. Daniel was riding his broom above me, carrying my Nimbus with him.

"If you're going to catch Giovanna," he said, "you might want this."

He dropped my Nimbus right over my head. I caught it easily and hopped on, urging it to go at top speed right off the bat. I flew over the arena just as I saw Professor Indiga entering. I touched down on the ground to a loud cry from the crowd, who were probably all still wondering where the heck I had gone after walking into that door. Professor Indiga had just entered the inside of the arena, running onto the grass, thinking she was the only one there. The crowd all turned their heads to look at her.

"Hello, Giovanna!" I called.

Professor Indiga froze where she stood in the arena, turning slowly to face me with a scowl. I twirled my wand around as I watched her clench her fist. I crossed my arms and glared at her. After I did that the whole crowd went "Ooooohhhhhh". A few of them even started booing Professor Indiga. I thought I heard Trudy and Ursula in the mix, maybe even James and Daniel, even though James technically did not know Professor Indiga. By now the entire crowd must have known that there was something bad about her.

"I thought you were at the Ministry," Professor Indiga said, walking toward me, "having your little 'distraction'. And by the way, it will not work."

"I left early," I told her. "And by the way, it is working."

"Impossible."

"Correction: possible. So, why are you here, Giovanna? Gonna try to put all these young people under your control? Think that if you brainwash them now you won't have to do it when they are older? Or do you just want to make them fear you now rather than after they find out you have been controlling the Ministry of Magic for weeks, pretending your father is still in charge to trick people into trusting the Ministry until you can restart your old master's plans to wipeout all half-bloods and Muggle borns? You know, Voldemort's plans." If people had not known she was bad earlier, they sure as hell knew she was bad now.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Don't even try to lie. We all see right through it."

"I'm not lying. I was asked by Headmaster McGonagall to come here and give a speech."

"In the middle of the challenges?"

She put on an innocent face. "I thought the challenges were over by now."

"Of course you did. Just out of curiosity, why would Headmaster McGonagall want you to give a speech? What would it be about?"

"Studies, working hard, that kind of thing. During the last Triwizard Tournament every single student's grades dropped just a little but, others much more. She wanted me to come talk about the importance of keeping grades up."

"Even though you are no longer a teacher at Beaxbaton?"

"I left Beaxbaton to work as personal assistant to my father, who is still Minister of Magic. He is going to campaign again during the next election and needs my help. Headmaster McGonagall thought this would be a good time to talk, since I am in a very coveted position of authority."

"Riiiiight. Of course you are."

"You know, Headmaster McGonagall, my _mother_, has told me you have a bit of sauciness in you. That's very admirable. You'll get far."

"Yeah, I heard people said that about my mother. Too bad she died. Maybe then you wouldn't have gotten as far as you have now."

"Your mother was a very good Auror, you know, one of the best. Always had a spell handy."

I could not believe it had taken me so long to put two and two together but now I had. "You killed my mother, didn't you?"

"No, of course not."

"Really? Because she was the only witch you ever really feared. Now, I am, and you want to kill me. Can you honestly tell me now that you did not kill my mother?"

A waiting silence filled the entire arena, no one making a sound at all. We were all awaiting Professor Indiga's answer, even Professor Indiga herself, I think. But, no one ever heard her answer in that arena that day. Suddenly she was gone with a loud cracking sound that made me step back, fearing she had cast a spell. I realized she had Disapparated. I had missed my chance.

Someone's hands fell on my shoulders. "You'll get her next time," Daniel whispered, rubbing my shoulders. I was reminded that the entire arena was watching this and took a tiny step away from Daniel, feeling my cheeks get a little warm. What was up with me? I looked up into the stands and saw Argius glaring down at Daniel. It made me kind of happy to see Argius was getting what he deserved. He was the one who had not even talked to me after the Yule Ball or tried to approach me. That was his loss, and I was kind of happy about it. I took Daniel's hand and the slightly dejected look vanished from his face. We held our brooms as we walked out of the arena, everyone still watching us.

"Should we go to the Ministry?" I asked Daniel after we had left the arena. I heard the announcement for Ginny Weasely to enter. I felt bad she had had to wait so long to go. I wondered if the Fiendfyre was still burning behind door one. I really hoped it was not.

"No," Daniel replied.

"Well, what are we going to do?"

"Right now, we just have to wait."


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18**_

"Child, I know I did not raise you to have such a distraught look on your face," Professor Pinns exclaimed, bursting through the door in her shimmery gold robe with gold barrettes in her beehive. I jumped up and ran over to her, hugging her tightly.

"Actually, I raised her."

I let go of Professor Pinns to hug my uncle, whom I had not seen in what seemed like forever. He was thinner than I remembered, his clothes hanging loosely on his tall frame, but he seemed to be getting better. That wise, too-old-for-his-age look was returning to his eye as opposed to the dismal, glassy look that had been there last time I saw them. He smoothed down some of my hair and kissed the top of my head before pulling away to look at me.

"How's my Rory-lion?" he asked, using that lame nickname I used to hate but suddenly loved.

"I'm fine, Uncle Romulus," I said. "How about you? You okay?"

"Getting better." At least he was being honest. "You did a very good job today, both with the challenge and the distraction. Your mother would be very proud."

"Giovanna killed Mom." I have no idea why I blurted it out so suddenly, but I felt I had to.

"Yes, we know," Professor Pinns said. My uncle shot her a death glare, but she ignored it with an ease that no one ever had. "Your uncle should have told you that."

"I was going to tell her when she was ready," my uncle defended.

She stepped forward. "And when will she be ready? When she's thirty? Ad when are you going to tell her who her father is? Going to wait until she's ready? When will she be ready for that, huh? When she's on her deathbed?"

"She is my niece. I will decide when to tell her such things, not you. _I_ am her guardian."

"And as her guardian it is your job to tell her these things."

"Do not start with me, Aurora!"

"Too late, Romulus."

I looked back at where Daniel was sitting on the floor next to the fire. We had just been talking for about an hour until the Order came back from the distraction. Busy had sprained his ankle but he and Chef Eleanor were otherwise fine. Daniel saw my face and got up, walking over quickly. He held out his hand to my uncle before he could say something to Professor Pinns.

"Hello, Mr. Lynx, I'm Daniel Michella," he said.

My uncle looked Daniel over. He held out his hand reluctantly, shaking Daniel's. "Nice to meet you, Daniel. You work in the Beaxbaton kitchen?"

"Yes, my parents are the head chefs. Professor la Urque is my tutor," he added quickly after seeing the look on my uncle's face.

"Ah, Professor la Urque? He was a teacher at Durmstrang for a short time." I noticed he did not mention that Professor la Urque had been the Astronomy teacher, like Professor Swarvosk. "Very wise man."

"Much like yourself, sir, or so I've heard."

"Don't try to be a suck-up, I hate suck-ups."

"Can't hate what you are," Professor Pinns muttered. I tried not to laugh as she stuck her tongue out at my uncle.

"Shut up, Aurora. Rory, someone is here to see you."

"Who?" I asked curiously.

"You will see. They are up in the dining hall."

My uncle left the kitchen, shooting Professor Pinns another death glare. She just smirked and went into the kitchen, asking Daniel where the ice cream was kept. I followed my uncle through the carriage halls until we got to the entrance hall. The entire carriage seemed oddly empty, except for a few of the teachers who were members of the Order that were milling around here and there. My uncle walked straight up to the doors of the dining hall, pushing them open before me. As they swung open I saw my grandmother standing in the middle of the dining hall, looking right at me like she had seen me there through the doors before they opened. I walked forward more to talk to her. I was glad I had changed into one of my old outfits, ripped jeans, a zip-up sweatshirt, and sneakers, after the challenge. My grandmother seemed to disapprove strongly of the outfit. I held my head a little higher when she looked me over again, like doing that would change what I was wearing.

"Hello, Rory," my grandmother greeted a little reluctantly.

"Hi, Gram," I said with the same amount of reluctance.

"Are all your clothes being washed currently?"

"No, this was my choice."

"I see sending you to Beaxbaton has not helped very much."

"Has not helped what very much? My personality? How my brain works?"

"Do not speak to me like that, young lady."

"Mother," my uncle began, "maybe-"

"Maybe we are just going to have to drill the proper way for a young lady to act into this girl's head. I have already arranged for you to spend the summer with my sister, Tallulah, in America. You will be attending an etiquette camp while there."

"No, she will not," my uncle said firmly. "She will stay at Grimwauld Place this summer, along with many other members of the Order of the Phoenix."

My grandmother was stunned for a second. "That is no proper place for a-"

"Young lady, yeah, we know," I finished. "Is proper like the only adjective you know, Gram?"

"It is in fact the proper place for her," my uncle said.

"It belongs to the Blacks. Their last descendant was a horrid criminal that died a year ago. I forbid you from letting Rory stay there."

"It does not matter what you say, because I am her guardian. And, I say, Rory is spending this summer at Grimwauld Place with the other members of the Order so we may stop Giovanna before she goes too far, like her old master."

Gram looked disgusted. "First my granddaughter disgraces our name by entering the tournament, now this."

"Most people would be proud," I told my grandmother before walking out of the room.

My uncle was right behind me, leaving my grandmother to her steaming silence. I was about to head up the stairs when the door to the carriage opened. I looked back at Headmaster McGonagall. Behind her were some of the Hogwarts teachers and a few students from all three schools. There was a long pause before Professor McGonagall spoke.

"Congratulations, Rory, you won the challenge."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes, and the distraction was a success." Some of the students seemed a little confused by the last thing Headmaster McGonagall said. They obviously did not notice the slight limp she had.

"Awesome," I said.

"It would be, except for one small thing."

"What?"

"Harry Potter has gone missing."


	19. Chapter 19

_**Chapter 19**_

Word spread like wildfire: Harry Potter had gone missing the exact same day there was a disruption at the Ministry of Magic, revealing that Edgar Fickleberry was no longer in control but one of the Dark Lord's older followers and Fickleberry's daughter, Giovanna Indiga, was. The magical world went into chaos. Riots broke out within hours after I received the news of Harry Potter's missing status. Some said he was backing Professor Indiga, others thought he was dead.

The worst part was, just as soon as chaos began breaking out, it was calmed, but by Professor Indiga's followers, which were more numerous than we thought. She forced people to follow her, or suffer the Dementor's Kiss. It was rumored she had thrown more than fifty people in Askaban overnight, all of which were Muggle-borns or half-bloods. All the former followers of Voldemort were set free from Askaban.

"This is impossible," Headmaster McGonagall said, pacing her office. "She has grown in power so quickly."

"She has more force on her side than we thought," Edgar said from behind the desk. He folded his arms. "We must stop her before she gets too far, just like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"Could she have gotten a hold of Harry?" Mrs. Weasely asked as she stroked Ginny's hair. "He's got to be about the only person she fears because of his success last year in killing her master."

"Giovanna is too cocky to fear Harry Potter," Professor Pinns said. "She only fears the daughter of the one woman who could ever beat her, Rory."

"But Rory's only fifteen," Ron Weasely said. "You can't expect her to fight Giovanna."

"She's perfectly capable," Hermione said. "Besides, were we just sitting around or playing Quidditch at fifteen?"

"No, but I wish we had been."

"Is Hogwarts even safe anymore?" Mr. Weasely asked.

"She's gotten in before," Professor la Urque said. "She could probably get in again, if she really tried. I'm afraid maybe it is not as safe as we thought."

"We need to keep the Order safe, under cover," Professor Gru pointed out. "Should we go back to Grimwauld Place?"

"Giovanna knows about it," Edgar Fickleberry said. "Besides, the bank is going to take it now because of Sirius Black's passing." I saw everyone's faces fall slightly at the mention of Sirius Black's death. "And it won't be long before Giovanna finds a way to get Gringott's under her control."

"What is she going to do?" George Weasely asked. "Steal all the money from half-bloods and Muggle-borns?"

"Yes, exactly that. Then she can use the money to bribe people into following her. If everyone in the wizarding world either followers her or is in Askaban for not following her, she has total control. We all know that is exactly what she wants: complete control."

"Has she made any attempts to get into Gringott's system yet?" Uncle Romulus asked.

"By now, possibly. I am sure she is working on it, along with another way into Hogwarts. We need to get Rory into hiding."

"But the final challenge-"

"Ms. Granger, this is far more important."

Hermione almost objected but stopped, folding her arms and getting a knowing look in her eye. "Of course, this is definitely more important."

Something about the way she said it made everyone look at her curiously. "Where can Rory go?" Uncle Romulus asked.

"Back to Beaxbaton?" Madame Maxime suggested.

"Shrieking Shack?" Hagrid offered.

"Her grandmother's?" Professor Pinns asked, looking at me. I shook my head vigorously.

"Our house?" Headmaster McGonagall said, glancing at Edgar Fickleberry.

"Much too easy to access for Giovanna," he said sadly.

Everyone continued to make offers and suggestions, but they were all too obvious or Giovanna could find me too easily. It lasted for about five more minutes before a loud but calm voice entered the conversation, overpowering everyone else's voices.

"She will remain at Hogwarts."

We all looked up, staring at the large picture of the second to last Headmaster, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. The wise old man in the picture had been watching us serenely before but now spoke up. We all waited for what he was going to say next. I saw almost everyone in the room smiling at the man they had probably once known, most fondly and respectfully Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and George.

"But Hogwarts is not-"

"It is the second safest place she could possibly stay," Dumbledore continued, cutting off Edgar Fickleberry. "She will reside in the Room of Requirement until the end of the term."

"Then where will she go?" Chef Busy asked, loudly of course.

"Then she will go home."

Dumbledore winked at us before walking out of the painting. Oddly enough, it seemed like his wink had been pointed in one direction. I followed that direction to see Hermione and Ron glancing at each other, giving small smiles. They must have known something we did not, or they were secretly planning something. Normally I would try to figure it out, but something told me that this time I would just have to wait and see.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter 20**_

I sat across from Ursula and James at the table. Next to me Trudy was talking Collin Bridger's ear off. I took a bite out of my roll while James and Ursula talked about some Astrology homework he had gotten the night before that was due the next day. I was putting it off until the last minute because I wanted whatever time I had to think about the next challenge, the final one.

In the second challenge we had all caught the silver Snitches. Mine was currently flying around my dorm. They had been charmed so they could not fly away from us. Somehow I had to figure out what was hidden in the Snitch or something like that. I had tried blasting it open but nothing worked and I had tried using the invisible-ink revealing spell on it but that did not work either. I knew there was some trick to getting it to open or having some sort of instructions appear on it, I just had no clue what that trick was.

I got up from dinner as Headmaster McGonagall approached the podium. I sat back down because she seemed to have something important to say. It took her a few seconds to quiet down everyone in the dining hall. She scanned the hall silently, seeming to look at everyone individually. You could not really decipher what emotion was on her face.

"I would like to first congratulate our champions on their fantastic efforts in their latest challenge last week," she said. "I have not been able to properly congratulate them yet." She paused as applause broke out in the hall. I looked down at my plate that was now empty. "Next, I would like to speak to you about another matter. As you know, there have been reports that an old Death Eater by the name of Giovanna Indiga has gained control of the Ministry of Magic. I confirm those reports." A collective gasp went through the entire hall. "I must warn you that though Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the wizard world, it is not completely safe. You must all be alert and aware of what is going on around you. If you notice anything suspicious immediately report it to one of your teachers or a staff member. Thank you."

She nodded slightly before going back to her seat. The entire hall was abuzz with talk about what Headmaster McGonagall had just said. I got up again, walking down the aisle to leave the hall. I slowed when I realized the loud sound of people talking had died down and almost all the heads in the hall were turned to look at me. At the doors I turned to see if maybe I was just being paranoid. I was not. By now every single head had turned to look at me, all mouths in the hall silent. Even the teachers were watching me.

Well, why were they all watching me? What were they expecting? So what, I was leaving dinner early to get a head start on my homework. Was that so wrong? Was it really such a big spectacle that I was walking out of a room first? I turned and hurried out of the room. When I was almost to the front doors I heard the chatter start back up in the dining hall. I stepped out the open doors into the slightly dimmed night where the air as cool and crisp. I took a deep breath before starting off across the grounds for the carriage.

When I walked in I saw Daniel disappear around a corner with a rag over his shoulder and carrying a big crate of something. I quickened my step to get reach him before he disappeared all the way down the hall. I grabbed the other side of the crate without saying anything to Daniel. We continued carrying the crate of potatoes in silence until we got to the kitchen. Chef Busy had his back turned to us but he heard the door open.

"Thank God you're back!" he said. "Daniel, next for you I have-"

"Nothing," Chef Eleanor said from where she was baking bread by the fire. "We have no more work for you."

Chef Busy glanced over his shoulder. He nodded to me when he saw me. "You're mother's right! No more for you to do! Go have some fun!"

Daniel nodded uncertainly at what his father had said. He tossed the rag on his shoulder on a nearby table. He turned to me and shrugged. We walked out of the kitchen. Daniel looked at me as we walked through the halls to the entrance hall of the carriage. "Want to go for a walk?" he asked. I shrugged a little without really looking up at him. He looked at me more closely. He bumped me lightly with his shoulder. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," I said quietly.

"If you're too tired we don't have to go for walk."

"No, I'm fine."

"You sure? Because-"

I grabbed his arm and started pulling him as I walked faster. "I'm fine. Let's go."

We walked around the grounds a little, just going in random directions. People were still eating in the hall but a few students from Beaxbaton and Durmstrang were heading back to their dorms to do homework or something else. I waved to Ingrid and Emma Etements when they passed us on their way back to the Beaxbaton carriage. We were closer to the castle when we passed Madeline, Estelle, and Tianna. All three of them glared at me as I passed but they did not make any trouble. They had not crossed my path too often since the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament. I was curious to see how much longer that lasted but something told me Madeline's absence was about to end.

"You two don't get along?" Daniel asked after Madeline and her cronies had passed us and we were almost to the Quidditch pitch.

"Not really. I hit her and did some other stuff," I explained, "but that's because she always made the most aggravating remarks that pissed me off to no end. She thinks I'm just a filthy tomboy."

"Well, you are."

I spun on him. "What?"

He smirked. "Kidding."

"You better be unless you want me to kick your ass."

He laughed. "Trust me, I know." He reached his hand out tentatively and slowly took my hand, taking a small step closer. "And trust me, I don't think of you as just a filthy tomboy."

"What do you think of me as then?"

"A smart and kind but strong girl that doesn't take crap from anyone."

"Don't I sound amazing?"

He smiled. I smiled back at him, knowing he wanted to kiss me. I leaned in a little but then pulled back. His eyes widened a little. My smile became a smirk as I let go of his hands. Admittedly, I wanted to kiss him too, but I kind of wanted to tease him. It was fun. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek before walking off back to the carriage, leaving him a little confused daze. The bad part about teasing guys is that you never think of the "what if", as in: what if I never see him again after this? In this case, the what if came true.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Chapter 21**_

"Why would you leave him alone?" Chef Busy shouted.

"I didn't think anything would happen!" I yelled back.

"He could be dead by now!"

"I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"She doesn't always think of the consequences of her actions," my uncle butted in.

I glared at him. "What actions? I went back to the carriage!"

"You left my son alone!" Chef Busy roared. "He is missing now, and it's all your fault!"

"It is not my fault!"

"Yes, it is!"

"It is no one's fault," Chef Eleanor said quietly from her seat across from the headmaster's desk. She stood up and continued. "Rory thought Daniel was going back to the carriage right behind her. Do you expect the child to be a psychic? She had no idea what would happen to him. She saw nothing. Neither did any of the other students. Are you going to blame all of them for not eating their dinner quickly enough and leaving at the exact time that Daniel went missing? Are you going to blame Headmaster McGonagall for not trying to make Hogwarts even safer? That is probably not possible. And are you going to blame us for telling Daniel he was done with his work and telling him to go have fun? It was a chain of misfortunate events, and no one person's fault."

With that Chef Eleanor nodded to me and walked out of the room. Chef Busy, looking rather stunned, followed behind her. My uncle walked out of the room, too, leaving me alone with Headmaster McGonagall. She began responding to a letter without saying anything to me. After a few minutes I decided she did not want to talk so I started for the door to leave the office.

"The Order has made a decision," Headmaster McGonagall said. I turned to face her, even though she was still looking down at the parchment in front of her. "We would like you to focus on the final challenge and schoolwork until the end of the term. Giovanna will not make any major moves over the next four months, we're sure of it. We will keep an eye on her and do what we have been, but we do not want you helping us until the summer break."

I paused for a second to make sure she had nothing else to say before leaving. I walked through the empty halls of Hogwarts, my shoes clicking against the floor. I knew the people in their first classes of the day could hear my shoes. They either knew that it was me or could guess, especially since heads were already turned to look out some of the open doors to watch me as I walked by. I realized I was making quite an impression on some of the Hogwarts students during this tournament after some of the stuff that had happened that involved me.

Back in Potions I found Ursula had already started our assignment, and she was already her usual two steps ahead of everyone in the class. I helped her as we finished the potion. She is very picky so she would not let me do too much. We were the first to finish, which was not very shocking. We sat at our table in the back of the Potions classroom.

"Do they have any idea where Daniel is?" Ursula asked me in a very quiet voice I could hardly hear.

"No," I replied just as quietly.

She nodded. "I was going to say we should focus on the final challenge but that might be hard for you right now."

"No, a distraction would be good right now."

More like a distraction would be perfect. I could hardly bare to think of what could have happened to Daniel. What if he was not alive? What if they had killed him? And who could they be? Was it Giovanna's doing or someone else, maybe someone even worse? And what if he was still alive? Were they torturing him, or was he under an Imperius Curse?

"Really, really good," I breathed as the bell rang for us to go to our next class.

At lunch all anyone could talk about was the trip to Hogsmeade the next day. Headmaster McGonagall had considered canceling it but then decided to have more chaperones and changed the minimum grade level to fourth year instead of third year. I wished I could become more excited for the trip. Ursula was in the library looking up anything that could help with the final challenge or at least help us figure out what the final challenge could possibly be. I ate with James, Trudy, and Collin. Trudy and Collin were talking nonstop, practically completing each others sentences.

"Thank God you and Ursula aren't like that," I said to James.

"We're just friends," James said a little gloomily. I remembered he and Daniel had seemed to be pretty good friends.

"I feel horrible about it. I was with him. I thought he was going back to the carriage behind me, or into the castle, or-"

"But what difference would that have made?" James stabbed his fork into his meat crossly. "He would have made sure you were safe, then tried to fight whatever it was that took him." After biting the piece of meat he chewed it thoughtfully for a few seconds. "But…"

"But what?"

"Now, some smart-asses would try to tell you Daniel is stupid because he's never had proper schooling but they're the real idiots because he knew spells that sixth-years struggle with. If someone tried to kidnap him, they would have a pretty hard time doing so."

"What are you getting at, Magnia?" I felt now was a proper time to call him by his last name. It seemed like a pretty common thing to do at Hogwarts…

"What if someone didn't kidnap him?"

"Are you insisting that Daniel deliberately left, knowing perfectly well what a conundrum it would cause?"

"Yes, I think it is a possibility."

"Why would he do that?"

James shrugged, picking up another piece of meat. "I would be expecting you to know."

"Who, besides me, would you be expecting to know?"

"No one, I suppose."

I set my fork down, done with my meal. "I guess I would rather have had him run away than have him kidnapped. Where would he go, though?"

"I have absolutely no clue. What about you?"

I shook my head ruefully. "I have no clue, either, no clue at all."

Ursula, Trudy, and I squeezed through the door to get into Zonko's Joke Shop. Trudy immediately went to where there was a supply of the Puking Pastels. Ursula and I walked around for a little while as Trudy stocked up. Ursula stopped at a large barrel full of chocolate frogs. She filled a bag with some before moving into the next aisle where there was another barrel of jelly beans. I got a bag to fill up with some of the chocolate frogs. The huge crowd that had been around the barrel was moving on to the next one. As I began to fill the bag I looked around, surprised to see no one was in the aisle. I could still hear people screaming and talking all over the store, but there was an eerie feel to the emptiness in the aisle.

I tried to fill the bag quickly, afraid something bad might happen if I did not. I had just picked up a random chocolate frog when I noticed something where it had been. I paused for a second to take a closer look at the thing. It looked like the corner of a piece of parchment. I pushed aside a few other chocolate frogs until the entire corner of the parchment was revealed. I grabbed hold of it and pulled it out, looking at it intently. It was just a large, blank, folded up piece of parchment.

I heard someone rounding the corner. I quickly stuffed the paper into my canvas bag and carried my plastic bag of chocolate frogs up to the register. I paid for them before hurrying out of the store. Ursula caught up with me when I was halfway down the street. Trudy came running up on my other side a few minutes later. She fixed her glasses and braid before asking why I was in such a hurry.

"I'm just really hungry," I replied.

"Me, too," she said. "But it looks like the Three Broomsticks is closed."

The three of us looked at the pub to see that it was packed with people. We walked by about five other pubs, cafés, and restaurants to find they were all full of students, people, or teachers. We ended up going all the way into a shabbier part of Hogsmeade. The buildings were all old with peeling paint and crooked or broken signs, if they even had signs. Ursula seemed really scared as we walked into a small pub we found called Hog's Head. There was no one else in the pub except for the old man behind the counter. We took a seat in a booth near the door. The old man took his time cleaning out the glasses with a dirty rag before walking over to our booth.

"What can I get you ladies?" he asked without looking up from the glass he was cleaning.

"Three butterbeers," Trudy replied.

He walked away silently again. Something about him seemed kind of familiar but I could not quite put my finger on what it was. Trudy and I talked about Transfiguration and other trivial things as we waited for our butterbeers to arrive. Ursula was still silent, looking down at the table and glancing out the window nervously every now and then. The old man came over with our three butterbeers. He handed Ursula and Trudy theirs before giving me mine.

The man looked at me and almost dropped the butterbeer. I grabbed it swiftly before it could spill over. The old man quickly straightened up, scratching his beard as he looked at me again. "You look just like…" he trailed off, still looking at me. His blue eyes reminded me of someone else's.

"Who?" I asked quickly.

He shook his head. "You just look like a young person who used to come in here every now and then."

"Esmeralda Lynx?"

He started then thought for a second. "Yes, I suppose you do look like her. Actually, very much so, now that I think about it."

"She's my mother, that's why."  
>He nodded. "But your face…I could have sworn you looked like…"<p>

My stomach flip-flopped. "Could have sworn I looked like who?"

He shook his head again. "No one, never mind. What would you ladies like to eat?"

We all ordered what we wanted. Trudy had to order for Ursula because she still did not look up or say anything. After we were done eating we decided to go to the nearby clothing store just to check out what they had. I needed a new sweatshirt and jeans anyway. As we were walking out of Hog's Head I looked back at the old owner. He was cleaning off the counter with the same dirty rag he had used to clean the glasses. He did not look up as we left to watch us go. I wanted to ask him to tell me honestly who he had thought I looked like. I knew there was no way he was going to tell me honestly who it was, though.

Coming so close to finding out who my father was only to be disappointed was a frequent happening in my life that I hated. Why was it so hard to tell me who my father really was? It was not like telling me who he was would hurt me. I _wanted_ to know. That was when I realized why I probably had never been told who my father was. Maybe it was possible that it could hurt me if I knew. Was not telling me who my dad was my uncle's way of protecting me?


	22. Chapter 22

_**Chapter 22**_

I walked into the Transfiguration classroom as the last class for the day left. The teacher had led them out of the room but had not noticed me slip in. All the third years were so anxious to get out of their last class of the week that they did not notice me either. I walked over to where there was a row of books along the wall. I looked at the spines until I found one that had"The Art of Becoming An Animigus" in silver script on the spine. I took it off the shelf and flipped it open to the table of contents.

"Rory?"

I instantly slammed the book shut, hiding it behind me as I turned to face Professor la Urque. Ever since Daniel had gone missing he had had dark circles under his eyes, much like Chef Busy and Chef Eleanor. I had not realized until now just how close he and Daniel were. I remembered Daniel once said Professor la Urque was like a grandfather or an old uncle to him. He always had a story to tell Daniel at the end of their tutoring sessions.

"Yes?" I asked.

"What are you doing with a book on becoming an Animigus?" Professor la Urque asked. I guess even in the state he was in nothing got by him.

"I was just…curious."

"About what?"

"Natural Animiguses."

"Really? Why?"

"Uh, well…"

He smiled good-naturedly. "Headmaster McGonagall has spoken to me about your new ability. Well, I should not call it new since you discovered it some months ago. Have you used it since?"

"No."

"Well, now is as good a time as ever."

"Huh?"

"Transform into your Animigus state or whatever it's called."

"I'm in a classroom."

"And? It's a Transfiguration classroom, it is made for this kind of thing."

"But…I don't know if I can…"

"You've done it once before. You can do it again."

I looked down at my shoes, knowing that whatever I said Professor la Urque would have a response for. I tried to think of what had happened in the forest. All I really remembered was the werewolf and then suddenly being on all fours. What was I supposed to do? Just imagine what it would be like if I was in dog form? I did the best I could to remember what it was like that day in the forest.

A tearing sensation ripped through every bone and muscle in my body, followed by a little bit of a ticklish feeling. I fell onto all fours, my front paws falling to the floor almost silently. I think I smiled but I do not really know what it looked like to Professor la Urque, who was smiling down at me proudly. I trotted over to him, wagging my tail. Trust me, I never thought I would be wagging a tail that was attached to my body.

"I knew you could do it," Professor la Urque said. He squatted down, his knees cracking as he made that noise old men do when they bend their knees or back. I had never really realized how old Professor la Urque actually was. "You should keep in mind that all the participating champions are successful Animiguses. You can become a large dog, Oscar Ivorio can become a raccoon, and Ginny Weasely just recently mastered her Animigus."

I tilted my head to the side to ask him what her Animigus form was.

"She can become an eagle. They are three very different animals, but they might be used in the challenge. It is common knowledge that the final challenge of the Triwizard Tournament is always a maze but what awaits inside the maze is always a mystery."

I nodded, wagging my tail a little bit more. I thought about being, well, human and then the tearing sensation ripped through my body again, but less intense this time. I had to get used to only two feet again before I could move around that much. I picked up the Animigus book I had dropped and put it back on the shelf before turning back to Professor la Urque.

"Daniel wasn't kidnapped, was he?" I asked.

Professor la Urque did not answer but just put his hand in his pocket.

"He chose to go, didn't he? He ran away?"

"Yes, he chose to go. He did not run away because he has nothing to run away from. He left because he had something to do; he had to help with something."

"Help with what?"

"Mr. Michella is brighter than half the seventh years I teach at Beaxbaton. His amount of knowledge and his ability to do hard work enable him to take on many tasks, no matter how complicated."

"That didn't answer my question."

"That is because I do not know the answer. He just told me it was a complicated task. However, he told me to tell you something, but I do not get it."

"What was it?"

"He said, 'Try the screamers'."

I thought about this for a second. "What?"

"That's what he said. I don't know what it means, but I think he was hoping you would know what it was."

"Maybe I do, but…"

"I'm sure in time it will come to you. Now if you will excuse me, I must go speak with Headmaster McGonagall."

Later that night, while walking out of the dining hall with Ursula and Trudy, we passed a group of Hufflepuff second years babbling loudly. I caught the word "screamers" in their conversation and instantly whirled to face them. "What did you say?" I demanded of the nearest second year. "We were talking about the mandrils," the small boy replied nervously. "We were just saying they were screamers." "Oh, sorry to interrupt." I began walking away hurriedly as Ursula and Trudy looked at me curiously.

"What was that about?" Trudy asked.

"So, you know how Daniel left?" I asked.

"Yes," they both responded slowly.

"Didn't he get kidnapped?" Trudy questioned.

"No, he chose to leave because apparently he's doing some big thing. You have to keep this a secret guys, okay? You can't even tell Chef Busy or Chef Eleanor. No one, got it?" They both nodded vigorously. "Good. Anyway, before he left he told Professor la Urque-"

"I thought no one knew," Trudy cut in.

"Professor la Urque does. So, Daniel told Professor la Urque to tell me something."

Trudy adjusted her glasses. "Aw, how romantic!"

"It's not like that. He told Professor la Urque to tell me, 'Try the screamers'."

"Oh, not romantic. What did he mean?"

"I don't-"

"Oh my gosh!" Ursula exclaimed, suddenly looking up.

Ursula took off before we could ask her what her latest realization was. Trudy and I exchanged glances before shrugging and heading off for the carriage. Almost three hours later, while Trudy and I were laughing and drinking a secret stash of butterbeer with some of Trudy's friends from the Delyah house, Ursula burst through door to our room. I realized it had been raining when I saw that she was completely soaked. All the girls from Delyah instantly took her jacket and one gave her a clean robe. Ursula hardly noticed because she was talking at the speed of light and searching all over the room.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

Ursula's response was just a big mess of words to me. When she started tearing through my trunk I pulled her away. I put my clothes back, closed the trunk securely, and turned to Ursula, who was panting but still searching the room with her eyes.

"What are you looking for?" I asked again.

"The silver Snitch!" she exclaimed like she had already told me that a million times. Maybe she had, but I just had not understood her.

"I'll get it, just hang on a second."

Ursula sat down on her bed between Trudy and Antoinette Amoir from the Delyah House. I walked over to my nightstand, opened the drawer, and took out a small jewelry box I had kept from when I was younger to just store random junk in. I had emptied out all the random junk so I could keep the silver Snitch in there. After I took it out Ursula seemed to calm down a little but she still looked eager to tell us something. Ursula was eager to talk, so I knew this was pretty serious.

"What'd you find out?" I asked.

"You can thank Daniel and those second years," Ursula said. "I know what's going to open that Snitch."

I thought about this for a few seconds before closing my hand tightly around the Snitch. "Mandrils?"

"Yup. Those little screamers will make that Snitch pop right open. Probably."

"Probably?"

"We have to try, don't we?"

"Yeah, I guess so, but-"

"We'll go tomorrow."

"Sure, but-"

"Rory, just put the Snitch back and relax."

"You're telling _me_ to relax? You look ready to run a one hundred mile race."

She shrugged carelessly. "Learning excites me."

You can just imagine the response she got.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Chapter 23**_

I walked slowly into the greenhouse with the silver Snitch clasped tightly in my hands. I was all alone; Ursula had refused to come just in case she got in trouble. I would not get in trouble if I just answered honestly and told them that I was trying to find a way to open the Snitch. It was too early for anyone to be in the greenhouse anyway, especially on a Saturday morning.

I found the large earphones and put them on. I could not hear any noise at all. I kicked a nearby table but heard nothing. I knew the screaming mandrils would be about five hundred times louder than that but I was just testing it out. I held the earphones in place as I approached the nearest pot where a mandril had just been planted the day before. I took a deep breath as I grabbed the stem firmly. I decided to count to three before I would pull out the mandril.

One…

Two…

Three…

I tugged the mandril up out of the soil. I could not hear it screaming, but I could see its mouth hanging open. I felt the feathers on the Snitch begin to beat. I let go of it quickly. The Snitch floated up higher and higher, flying out into the center of the room. I watched it closely as I held the mandril up in the air. My arm was starting to get tired when the Snitch finally just exploded.

It was not a small explosion, but a huge one that sent me flying back against the nearby table. The mandril fell out of my hand. I blinked my eyes to get the spots out of my eyes from the brightness of the explosion. I ran after the mandril, grabbed its stem again, and slammed it in the nearest pot. I dumped some potting soil on it, patting it down forcefully.

I turned around to the center of the room again. I pulled off my headphone as I walked toward where the Snitch had been hanging. A very thin layer of silver particles lay all over the floor and plants within a twenty foot perimeter. I looked around for something, whatever it might be that I was supposed to be looking for.

Twenty minutes later I was still crawling around on the floor but I had not found anything more. I was just about to give up when for about the tenth time I passed a huge clump of silver particles. I really hate to admit this, but it never crossed my mind to brush aside the particles and see if there was maybe something underneath. I pushed the sparkly particles aside with my finger. Underneath was a small, clear diamond. I picked it up to take a closer look at it. It sparkled as it caught the sunlight. I smiled at the small gem's beauty.

"Rory, what are you doing here?"

I jumped up quickly when Professor Gru walked into the greenhouse. I shoved the small diamond in my pocket as I started walking quickly out of the greenhouse. "Research for homework," I replied convincingly. At least, I would like to think it was convincingly. Once I was outside of the greenhouse I took off running. I flung open the door to the carriage, taking the stairs up to the fourth floor two at a time. Ursula, who had probably heard me running down the hall, opened the door just as I was reaching it. I held up the diamond excitedly as I walked into the room.

"There was a freaking diamond in there?" Ursula exclaimed.

"Yup," I replied, nodding. "The mandrils worked like a charm. The Snitch literally exploded. Then, this came out."

"That's genius. The diamond is possibly the hardest gem in the world and would be perfectly capable of withstanding a small metal explosion if it was at the center, especially with some magical adjustments. What if this is just a symbol of what the challenge is? What if you have to find a way to get something to explode, or withstand something severe? And the way to withstand it is by standing at the center? Did the other champions get diamonds? Ginny's Snitch was copper, so she might have a different gem. What is it? Did she open the Snitch a similar way? Is it supposed to be a key?"

"I'll ask her."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"No, but I'm beginning to think you are."

Ursula handed me back the diamond like it was the most sacred thing in the world. "You can't talk to the other champions about the challenges. What if they haven't gotten their Snitches open yet? You can't give them the answer!"

"It would be worth it if we got more information that could help us."

"Possibly, but we are just going to work with the information we have. Put that in a safe place."

I opened the drawer to my nightstand, pulling out the jewelry box. I wrapped the diamond in a silk scarf my grandmother had bought me that I never wear and put it in the box. I glanced back at Ursula. She was looking through her trunk, probably trying to find a book. I looked back down at the diamond, safely wrapped in the scarf, lying in the jewelry box. I pulled it out and slipped it in my pocket while Ursula was not looking. I closed the jewelry box and put it away.

"So I can't talk to Ginny or Oscar about this?" I asked.

"No," Ursula replied. She headed for the door. "I'll be in the library for most of the day if you need me. I've got homework and other stuff to do. See you later."

"'Kay."

I went into the bathroom to change out of my Beaxbaton sweat suit into jeans and a sweater. I worked on my homework for about an hour and a half before leaving the carriage to get some fresh air. I walked down to the lakeshore. I spotted Ginny Weasely sitting on a large rock, just staring at the lake. I walked over. Her greeting was in her eyes, not her words. I sat down next to her, tossing my head to the side to get my ponytail off my shoulder.

"Excited about the final challenge?" I asked her.

"No," she responded bluntly.

"How long have you and Harry been together?" I asked.

"Since I was a fifth year. I've known him since I was a first year."

"You really love him?"

"Yes."

I thought of how sad I was knowing that Daniel had chosen to leave. I could not even imagine what it was like for Ginny to know that Harry, whom she loved, was missing and no one had any clue if he had been kidnapped or not. "The second years are working with mandrils. It opens the Snitch."

"Oscar told me at dinner last night. He said he was going to tell you this morning at breakfast."

"I ate in the carriage."

"So who told you?"

"I had a tip off from an anonymous source."

"The ruby's pretty, isn't it?"

"Pardon me?"

"The ruby inside the Snitch, it's pretty, isn't it?"

"I didn't have a ruby inside mine." I pulled out the scarf from my sweater pocket. I started to unwrap it. Ginny's eyes brightened a little when she saw the diamond. "Do you have your ruby?"

"Yes." She pulled an old glove out of her pocket and unfolded it to reveal a bright red ruby.

"It's amazing," I said.

"Oscar had said something about a sapphire when he told me about the mandrils. I had not heard what he said before or after it, I just heard the word sapphire. It was rather noisy at dinner."

"Do you think there's a reason we all have different gems?"

"Professor Slughorn is my mentor. He said the final challenge is almost always a maze. Maybe the gem has to do with something in the maze."

I looked down at the circular gem. It had a two inch radius probably. I wrapped the scarf around it again. "I guess we'll just have to find out, won't we?"

Ginny wrapped the ruby up again too. "That's a nice necklace."

I touched the thin gold chain around my neck. I usually wore the gold lion paw charm under my shirt but it was showing today. "Thanks, it was my mother's. She was a Gryffindor at Hogwarts."

She tilted her head to the side. "Really? What was her name?"

"Esmeralda Lynx."

Ginny stared at me for a few seconds before looking back out at the lake with a weird gaze. She turned back to me. "So you're….Wow, I can't believe I never put that together." She gasped suddenly. "I can't believe Ron didn't tell me!"

I was really confused now. "Tell you what?"

"That you…never mind." For the first time since Harry had gone missing I saw her smiling broadly. "I'll see you .later, Rory."

She jumped up, walking away from the rock quickly. I looked back out at the lake, trying to forget the weird conversation I had just had. What had it even been about? I lied down on the rock, looking up at the gray sky. I played with the little lion paw charm as I watched the clouds go by. I heard shouts and laughter as people began waking up and walking around the grounds. Farther away, in the Forbidden Forest, I heard a loud but happy cry from some sort of creature. I spun my wand carelessly as I sat up, thinking of what I could do. I realized that now more than ever I wanted to talk to Daniel, and I had just figured out where he was.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Chapter 24**_

I walked to the end of the hall, toward the kitchen. I pushed open the door. There was no one in the kitchen at 13 Grimwauld Place. I had searched the entire house, saving the kitchen for last because I knew Daniel would have heard me enter the house from there and would have hid. So, my inkling of where Daniel was had been wrong and now I was going to be in huge trouble when I got back to Hogwarts.

I decided to walk through the house one last time before I went back to school to try to delay the chewing out I was going to get. I also just felt like I should take one last look at the house, like there was something waiting for me that I did not know about yet. I walked up the stairs, looking in the rooms whose doors I had left open. I paused in front of the room where I had stayed over winter break.

The floorboards creaked as I stepped in, the door opening slowly on the rusty hinges. I walked forward toward the empty trunk that now lay at the foot of the bed. Curiously I opened it up but found nothing but old blankets inside. I walked around the perimeter of the room, dragging my fingers over the old desk and the rough wood of the large bureau. I had always assumed the drawers were empty but now I decided to see if my assumptions were correct.

Inside the first drawer was just a bunch of old gloves and scarves. The second drawer had a lot of empty frames or blank pieces of parchment. The third drawer contained some linen napkins with a family crest in the corner. By the fourth drawer I had basically given up on finding anything interesting.

All I found was an old sweater. It was red and gold, the colors for the Gryffindor house at Hogwarts. I thought I had heard someone say everyone from the Black family had been a Slytherine. I picked up the sweater, still folded, and walked out of the room to find something I could put it in. In a different bedroom I found an old messenger bag I could put it in. I know it was technically stealing, but the house also technically belonged to the Order of the Phoenix and I was technically a member so _technically_ I was not stealing. I also really, really wanted the sweater because it was the house my mother had been in.

On my way back down the hall I passed the room with the family tree inside it. I wondered if I could find the name of the person who had been in Gryffindor. I assumed such an achievement, or possibly a disgrace in their eyes, would be marked down on the family tree or something. I stepped in to see that a few members on the tree had been blasted off the tree. I searched it until I came to the latest generations of Blacks. Sirius Black's name was still visible but his picture had been blasted off. I saw the names of a few famous Death Eaters whose pictures had not been blasted off. Yeah, that totally made sense. Not!

I started walking out of the room. I thought I saw something moving on the wall and turned around. A golden line had appeared beneath Sirius Black's spot. I guess I had just not seen that when I was looking at it before. It must have been a trick of the light or something like that. I continued walking down the hall. My Nimbus was leaning against the wall next to the door. I picked it up as I went through the door. I hopped on after going down the steps and took off into the sky.

I ran to the dining hall as fast as I could. I managed to slide in next to Trudy and Collin just as dinner was appearing on the table. I dug in hungrily, having missed lunch to work on homework I had been putting off all weekend. I looked up at the ceiling where there were dark clouds moving slowly across the dark night sky. I hated how much rain there had been this month. I knew April was when it was supposed to rain a lot but it just made everything so wet and soggy.

Ursula and I ran back to the carriage after dinner to avoid the predicted thunderstorm. It had started drizzling a little as we approached the carriage door. When we got to our room we instantly started looking for some dry clothes to put on. I was shuffling through my trunk when Ursula spotted the red and gold sweater from Grimwauld Place.

"Where'd you get that from?" she asked.

"Uh…" I paused. "It was my mom's. My uncle sent it out a while ago."

"Oh, cool. So…have you been given any updates on the search for Daniel?"

"No. It's been a month. They're starting to give up."

After that Ursula kept quiet. She went into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. I threw mine on my bed before going back through my trunk. I found the sweater again. I pulled it out quickly. It had been folded up the entire time and when the sweater unfolded something fell out. I looked over the Gryffindor crest design on the front of the sweater before looking in the trunk to see what had fallen out of it.

I picked up the folded piece of parchment and opened it. It was blank but I knew it must have invisible writing on it. I pulled out my wand, setting the parchment down on my bed. I pointed my wand in the center. "_Aparecium_," I chanted. Slowly the scratchy script began to form on the paper. I held it closer so I could see it more clearly. I was shocked when I saw instructions on it.

_1. Get the paper_

_2. "I solemnly swear I am up to know good"_

_3. "Mischief managed"_

_4. This is about to go up in flames to throw it out_

I looked over two and three again as I felt the paper began to heat up in my hands. I tossed it in the trash. It went up in flames in mid-air. I started clawing through my chest again until I found the large piece of parchment I had found in the chocolate frog barrel at Zonko's. I thought of what the instructions on the paper had said.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," I said quietly, pointing my wand at the map.

Ink began appearing on the front of the large folded paper. "Prongs, Padfoot, Mooney, and Wormtail proudly present the Marauder's Map," I said out loud. I unfolded the paper and was shocked to find it was a map of all of Hogwarts. Things were moving all over it. It took me a few seconds to realize the names were people who were walking around the castle.

The door to the bathroom began to open. I pointed my wand at the paper again and whispered, "Mischief managed." I slid the paper under my pillow with my wand. I closed my trunk shut casually as I picked up my pajamas to go into the bathroom. Ursula just flopped on her bed and began reading a book.

After Ursula had fallen asleep I pulled the map out again. I had no idea who the four names on the map belonged to. Had the paper with the instructions always been in the sweater? Or had someone put it there recently? If it had been there, why was it at Grimwauld Place? How did they know I would go there and found it? Why had I been the one to find the map? Was there a special purpose or was it all just a bunch of coincidences? I decided it was best that I just sleep until I could talk to Ursula about it. We were both already stressed out about the final challenge without all these new questions.

"Nox," I said just as I noticed something on the map. "Lumos!"

It was gone. I looked all over the map carefully but I did not see it at all. I turned out the light at the end of my wand again. "Mischief managed," I said, tapping the paper. I stuffed the map under my pillow again. I closed my drapes before lying down on my soft pillow. I stared up. When I had turned out my light the first time, I could have sworn I saw someone's name floating around the grounds of Hogwarts, near where there was the huge mass of Beaxbaton names because of our carriage. I could have sworn I saw the name Sirius Black.


	25. Chapter 25

_**Chapter 25**_

I sat on the bleachers in the Quidditch pitch, watching the Gryffindor practice. James was missing every chance to block the Quaffle from his spot as Keeper. At one point he got nailed right in the side by a Bludger. Ursula had been sitting down next to me when this happened and frowned deeply. "_Confundus_," she coughed. The Beater swung at a Bludger but missed and fell right off his broom from the amount of force he used when he was swinging.

"Classy," I remarked.

"Don't mess with my friends," Ursula responded coolly.

After the Quidditch practice Ursula went to go talk to James. I was walking back along the bleachers when I felt someone watching me. I turned to see Madeline, Tianna, and Estelle approaching me. I just watched them as they got closer, all three of them scowling. Madeline had her arms crossed, trying to look sassy. In my opinion, she just looked stupid.

"So, how's our little Beaxbaton champion doing?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes. Tianna and Estelle stepped forward.

"I asked you how you were doing."

"I thought it was rhetorical," I said.

"God, why couldn't we at least get a champion with half a brain?"

"The fact that you keep mentioning that I'm the champion proves how jealous you are."

Madeline glared at me. "It's not fair! Why should you get all the attention? All the glory?"

I could have laughed at her ignorance. "I don't want the attention, you can have it. And since when is watching someone almost die in a pool of their own blood glory?"

"You just want us to think you didn't put your name in."

"I didn't put my name in. Whoever did put my name in owes me big time for what they've done to me."

"Of course they do. You're just a filthy, orphaned tomboy who wants attention from everyone."

Estelle and Tianna both pushed me back so hard I landed on my butt. Madeline and her crew walked away cackling. I held my wand out, pointing it at them. "_Stupefy_," I whispered. All three fell to the ground, paralyzed. I stood up and brushed off my uniform. I began to walk away, humming. Someone would find them there. Eventually.

Madeline did not bother me at all again for the next couple weeks. She had been smart enough not to tell the teachers who had Stupefied her and her friends because she knew I could give her payback worse than hell. Ursula and I poured over books to try to find out what the diamond was supposed to mean. Ginny, Oscar, and I would talk sometimes but none of us were able to come up with anything.

I took out the Marauder's Map every night just to see the people's names as they moved around the castle. I was always hoping I would see Daniel's name somewhere but it never came up. I also spent the next two weeks practicing every spell I knew over and over again with Professor la Urque and Ursula. With Professor la Urque I mostly practiced my transition into my Animigus form. During the last practice, Headmaster McGonagall stopped by in her cat form. We both changed back to human form at the same time.

"I see you are doing well," she said. "I thought I would stop in on all the champions to see what they are doing to prepare. You are doing very well."

"Thank you," I said.

"Well, I wish you luck in the challenge tomorrow and I hope you do very well."

She nodded to me before asking Professor la Urque if she could have a word with him. That was the end of my last practice for the Triwizard Tournament. Tomorrow was the final challenge. I could hardly think of it because it made my stomach twist nervously. I pulled the diamond out of my pocket. It glittered in the sunlight, just as bright as it had been when I first found it. I spun it over and over again in my hand.

I froze when I thought I saw something in the gem. No, not on it, but _in_ it. When I moved whatever I had seen was lost. I kept moving the diamond around, closer to my face, until I finally caught it again. I squinted to see it better but all I could really see was a bunch of lines. It was like one line that just went all over the place and criss-crossed itself. I squinted even more and realized that that was exactly what it was, just one line. I could barely tell where the beginning and the end were, or if they were even the beginning or end. It was almost like…a maze.


	26. Chapter 26

_**Chapter 26**_

I could not eat anything the night before, and I could not eat anything that morning. Eventually Trudy and Ursula convinced me I had to eat something or I would do horribly in the challenge. I had looked for Oscar and Ginny the night before to tell them what I had found in the gem but I had not been able to find either of them. I did not see them in the morning until I entered the champion's tent for the challenge.

We just all stood around, looking at each other nervously and trying to smile comfortingly. I was just about to tell them what I found when we were shuffled out of the tent. All three of us gasped when we saw the huge maze spread out before us. There were five different entrances. We were allowed to pick whichever one we wanted. I looked at Ursula in the stands. She had a weird blank expression in her eyes but she held up two fingers.

I walked toward the second entrance slowly. Ginny was at the fifth entrance and Oscar was at the first. We all looked at each other again. Ginny gave me a weirdly friendly smile before Professor McGonagall stepped up to the podium. She made a little speech congratulating us on making it so far in the tournament. Of course she did not mention that if we had not made it then it would be because we died. She also mentioned something about how this was a highly dangerous maze that could very likely result in death or serious injury. I glanced sideways at the scars that still covered Oscar's body.

Then we were given the cue to go. I put my hand in the pocket of my swimsuit, curling my fingers around the diamond. I decided to get a good distance into the maze until I took it out. I took a deep breath before I took my first step in at the same time as Oscar and Ginny. After a few feet I could not see anything on either side of me except the tall green sides of the maze. After a few more feet the temperature seemed to drop about ten degrees and the sun seemed to almost completely vanish.

I reached into my pocket, pulling out the diamond. In the dimness the design at the center seemed to illuminate. I looked at it closely to try to decide which end of the line was the beginning. Finally I flipped the diamond over and settled on the end facing me being the beginning. I began walking again.

I came to my first choice: right, left, or straight ahead. I looked down at the diamond. The line led right, going on for a little while, then left. I followed those exact instructions. When I came to a place where I could go straight or right, I looked back down at the diamond. The instructions seemed to lead straight ahead. I began walking, still staring at the diamond. Just for the heck of it I went along the line that was illuminated in the diamond, retracing my own steps in my mind.

The line in the diamond had changed. It was no longer the same one it had been before, it had changed. I looked around frantically, trying to see if maybe I could go back to the beginning but I had walked too far and going back to the beginning would only slow me down anyway. I had to keep going.

I looked back down at the diamond. If it was not giving me directions through the maze, than what was it doing? I had a feeling that as of right now it had no use for me. I placed it back in my pocket, gripping my wand and starting forward again. Knowing that I really was all on my own now did not comfort me at all.

Each turn I took seemed like a life or death choice, possibly because it could have been. Who knew what lay at the end of the path to the right or around the corner at the end of the path to the left? Whenever the tall hedges of the maze rustled I would jump and spin around in a circle. I looked back over my shoulder constantly.

After one turn to the right I heard the hedges rustle again. When I jumped and spun around, it did not stop. I knew this time it was not just a breeze but something much worse. I looked back over my shoulder again as the rustling sound got louder. I began running down the path that seemed to stretch on forever. I could not see any right or left turns at the end but it just faded into darkness.

The rustling sound picked up the faster I ran. I happened to glance to the side and thought I saw something rushing through the hedge but I was not one hundred percent sure what it was. I tried to pick up the pace a little more but I was already going as fast as I could go. I thought I saw a right turn coming into view but then something sprang out of the hedges about one hundred feet ahead of me.

The large tiger landed on its feet, like cats always do. It looked directly at me with a ravenous glare. I froze where I was. The tiger's orange and black coat seemed to stand out brightly against the green hedges of the maze. I wondered how I had not seen it running through the hedges before. They must have been thicker than I thought.

The tiger's shoulder blades rose and fell as it walked closer. For a few seconds I could hardly even think because of how scared I was. I had almost forgotten the wand I was holding in my hand. When I remembered it was there I held it up shakily and shouted, "_Petrificus Totalus_!" The spell flew toward the tiger but seemed to rebound off of some invisible shield surrounding it. I tried a Stupefying spell but it was blocked by the shield again. The only thing I had done was annoy the tiger, whose strides were getting longer and quicker as it approached me.

The tearing sensation spread throughout my body but by now it had become routine. Once my front paws had landed on the ground I started running right at the startled tiger. I had almost reached it when it decided to become smart and move its striped ass. It leaped into the air, heading right for me. I jumped up, putting my front paws out and aiming them at its chest. My body weight was heavier than his so I smacked him to the ground. He had managed to get a good swing at my arm first though.

I barked right in the tiger's face as he snapped at me with his stupid chompers. And people say dog breath is bad? I sank the claws of my hind feet into the tiger's legs so he would stop struggling. I clawed furiously at his face and chest. He made another good swing at me that cut me right next to the ear. It stung like hell but I tried to ignore it the best I could so I could finish off this thing.

I scratched at the tiger's neck. He growled furiously. He tried to throw me off but I had scratched him enough to weaken him a good deal. I opened my large mouth and closed it down around his neck. The tiger went limp after a second or two. I backed off the tiger, trying to get the icky tiger taste out of my mouth.

The tearing sensation and then I was standing up on two feet again, holding my wands. I looked down at my arm. There was a gash that was about five inches long that stretched to the back of my hand. I pointed my wand at it. "_Ferula_," I chanted. A clean bandage instantly formed around the bloody cut. I held my hand up next to my ear where I had a cut that was about two inches long but not too deep. I used my wand to wet the end of my sweatshirt sleeve and wash off the cut a little, even though it was still bleeding.

I stepped gingerly over the dead tiger. Somewhere in the distance I thought I heard a loud cry. I knew that some type of animal was probably being sent after Ginny and Oscar, I just hoped they beat it. I continued on along the path I had taken until I came to the corner that turn right. There was no other option so I had to go right.

Then came the choice again: right or left? Over and over again I was in a state of fear that I had made the wrong choice. It seemed like hours between the corners and turns, but it was really only minutes. Each step was taken with care, every noise made me jump. I kept going over spells in my head, even ones that would be useless, like furniture fixing spells. I wiped off a drop of blood that had trickled onto my chin from the cut near my ear. I rolled up my sleeves after and realized my sweat suit and hands had become dirty after the fight with the tiger.

I immediately noticed the change in terrain after I took a right turn someplace. I had no idea how deep into the maze I was, or if I was even deep into it at all. The entire time the ground had been springy grass that was totally level. Every now and then there would be a leaf or twig from the hedge but besides that it was neatly trimmed. Suddenly the grass was less springy, the ground bumpier. The hedge seemed thicker and the roots came up through the grass. For the first time I had to watch my step.

The hedges rustled and I looked up quickly, snapping my head right and left. I was about to turn when my foot got caught on one of the roots and I stumbled forward a little. My hand shot out and I grabbed hold of the thick hedge. I instantly knew I had made a mistake. The part of the hedge I had grabbed began to grow and wrap around my hand and wrist. The root I had tripped on managed to snake around my ankle before I could move it.

I struggled to pull my foot and arm free but the roots continued to grow quicker. The hedge was almost to my elbow and the roots were almost to my knee. They began to wrap around my other leg. I tried to use a Stupefying curse to stop it and the freezing spell but it did not work for a very long time. I knew I had to take a huge risk.

"_Relashio_," I said, pointing my wand at the roots wrapping around my legs.

The roots receded but only slightly as the sparks flew out of my wand. "_Relashio_," I repeated. The roots loosened a little bit more. I repeated the spell again, quicker and quicker, alternating between the hedge and the roots. Once the hedge had unwrapped itself completely from my arm I only had the root trying to wrap itself back around my foot.

"_Confringo_!" I shouted angrily.

The root went up in flames. I pulled my foot away from the flames quickly, using the water spell to put out the slight flame that had caught on the toe of my sneaker. I started running down the path to get as far away from the enchanted hedge as I could. I could see what looked like two turns, one right and one left, just up ahead a few yards. I stopped running to save my energy a little.

I had decided to turn right before I even got there and was just about to turn when I heard someone breathing heavily. I turned around to see both Oscar and Ginny walking down the path I had just come. They both looked pretty scratched up but neither looked like they had had an encounter with the enchanted hedges. I stayed where I was until they reached me.

"Oscar figured out what the gem means," Ginny said abruptly.

I looked at Oscar curiously. "Well?" I asked.

Oscar did not say anything but motioned for me to pull out my diamond. I took it out of my pocket. I held it up. The line inside Ginny's ruby was glowing with a gold color and the one inside Oscar's sapphire had a white glow. Mine gave off a silvery blue glow. I could clearly see the lines moving around inside the gems but they did not seem to be stopping to form any definite shape.

Then in an instant they shot into a shape and froze. I peered closely at mine. "S?" Oscar and Ginny said out loud at the same time. "Yours says 'S'?" I asked. I looked down at the letter that had appeared inside my gem. "Mines says 'K'." We became silent again as the letters changed, forming another one. "A," Oscar and Ginny said in unison again.

"I," I said uncertainly. I was certain it was an "I" that had appeared in my diamond, I just had no idea what it meant. The letters shifted again.

"F," Ginny said.

"S," I said. We all looked at each other as the letters changed again.

"E," Ginny announced.

"Safe," Oscar concluded. "I had the same letters as Ginny."

I shook my diamond a little but the letter did not change. "I guess it's 'S' again," I said. "Kiss? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Oscar and Ginny shrugged. It seemed like Ginny was thinking something but she never got to say it because just then I got my answer.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Chapter 27**_

The cold came quicker than usual. Everything seemed to lose its color in a second. I could see my breath when I breathed. Oscar and Ginny stared at each other for a second before they both turned to me with fear in their eyes. I knew that they were afraid because a Dementor must be coming. It took me a little while longer to realize another reason why they were looking at me specifically with so much fear. It was because of what the gems had said. Ginny got "safe". Oscar got "safe". I got "kiss". I now knew exactly what it meant.

"Run," I breathed as I heard a moan in the distance. I could not place exactly where the sound had come from.

"But-" Ginny began.

I saw something dark start floating over the hedges. "Run!"

I turned and started sprinting down the path to the right. Ginny went to the left and Oscar went down the path where the enchanted hedges had been. I tried to run as fast as I could but the frigid air seemed to weaken me. I tried to think of happy thoughts but they seemed to be sucked right out of my mind, never to return. I was beginning to think I would never have a happy thought again. Or, if I did, I would never be able to keep it for only a few seconds.

I was almost to another turn when something went right over my head. Everything seemed so dark that the Dementor almost blended in with it all. My hand was so numb from the cold that I could hardly move it. "_Expecto patronum_," I said meekly. It was no use. I had no energy, no happiness. I was not even pointing my wand at the Dementor. I was not even sad or depressed. I was just numb.

I felt my knees buckle. My breathing was shallow, my thoughts muddled. I felt the Dementor moving in closer. Through all the muddled thoughts I managed to grasp something. _Think of something happy_, a voice instructed me in my head. It was the voice of the teacher who had taught me the Patronus, Professor Swarvosk. I could almost see the small woman who had been like my aunt all those years at Durmstrang. _Think of something happy_.

I was no longer in the maze. I was no longer about to face the Dementor's Kiss. I was back at Grimwauld Place. I was sitting at the long table in the kitchen with all the other members of the Order of the Phoenix. It was Christmas. The Weaselys had just arrived. We were all standing around, eating and laughing. There was a feeling of warmth and happiness in the room that I loved. It felt like I was at home.

Then I was back in the maze but I had broken the freezing trance. I jumped up and aimed my wand right at the startlingly close Dementor. I kept replaying the memory again and again in my mind. "_Expecto patronum!_" I screamed. The wolf leaped out of my wand, catching the Dementor right where its heart would have been. The Dementor was torn right in half with a loud howl. Then I was all alone in the middle of the path, in the middle of the maze, gasping for breath.

I just started running. I turned corners randomly, no longer fearing what could be around the corner. I no longer cared what I was going to face. I would beat it, whatever it may be. All that mattered was getting to that Triwizard Cup. If I did not find it then I would run through the maze just to pass the time until someone else found it and the tournament was over. That was all I wanted: for this tournament to finally be over.

I spun wildly around one corner after another. Every now and then I would hear a noise deeper into the maze or a rustling in the hedges. I saw a red spark fly up after I took a right turn somewhere. I watched the spark fly higher and higher up into the air until it exploded. I vaguely wondered who it was. I was really focusing on the fact that now there were only two people left in the maze.

I tore my eyes away from the sky to look back at the path I was on. I froze where I was when I saw what was at the end of the path.

It was the Triwizard Cup.


	28. Chapter 28

_**Chapter 28**_

I only froze for a few seconds before I took off running right for the glowing Triwizard Cup. I was about one hundred feet away when something seemed to hit my feet and made me trip. I got back up but this time Oscar Ivorio was running right alongside me. I tried to take longer strides than him with my longer legs.

Oscar had been pushing himself too hard. He was still pretty banged up from the second challenge and after the entire maze he was pretty much beat. He was careless. Like me, he just wanted to get this over with. I, however, was paying more attention to what was happening beneath my feet. I saw the root of the hedge suddenly shoot out. I jumped over it agilely. Oscar tripped right over it, twisting his ankle.

For a second I paused. I looked back at where Oscar lay on the ground, beating it with his fist. He tried to get up but his ankle caused him too much pain. I saw a long gash on his other leg. He looked up at me with sweat dripping down his face. He tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace.

"Go get it, Rory-Lion," he said, using the nickname all the older students at Durmstrang used to call me when I was younger. "Durmstrang still wins, right?"

I managed a smile for the first time in days before I began running toward the Triwizard Cup again. I stopped when I was right in front of it. The glow emanating from it washed over my entire body. I stared up at it in awe. This was about to be mine, I was about to have it, hold it in my hands. I was about to be crowned the winner of the Triwizard Tournament.

I looked back. Oscar was no longer there. A red spark had gone up as I had been running toward the trophy. I reached up tentatively. I held my hands in the air for a few seconds. Finally, I wrapped my fingers around the cold silver handles of the Triwizard Cup.


	29. Chapter 29

_**Chapter 29**_

A huge, bright spark flew up into the air from where I was standing. The hedges seemed to sink back into the ground. I saw people in the distance running closer from the stands. I could not see Headmaster McGonagall or Professor la Urque in the crowd. Ursula and Trudy were leading the pack.

Suddenly I was being hugged my fifty people at a time. I held my arms up so no one would damage the Triwizard Cup. I could not stop smiling at all. People from all the schools were congratulating me, but mostly students from Beaxbaton. Argius gave me a quick pat on the back before walking away with a grumbling pack of Durmstrang boys. Ursula and Trudy tried to be my bodyguards by getting people to back up but it did not work that well. Finally an earsplitting whistle traveled across he entire school grounds. Many people stopped moving and covered their ears.

A path was cleared for Headmaster McGonagall. Ursula was the only one allowed to stay with me as I was led back to the podium where Headmaster McGonagall was going to do the formal announcement. A lot of people had just stayed in the stands to avoid being trampled by the large crowd. I waved to where Madame Maxime, Professor la Urque, Professor Gru, Chef Busy, Chef Eleanor, and the other Beaxbaton staff members were sitting.

Headmaster McGonagall asked for everyone to be seated before she stepped up to the podium. She cleared her throat quietly and began.

"The winner of this year's Triwizard Tournament is Aurora Bethany Lynx!"

A thunderous cheer rose up through the entire stands. People began hooting, screaming, stomping their feet. I felt my cheeks get a little red but smiled at everyone. I held up the Triwizard Cup, which made them go even crazier. Headmaster McGonagall stepped to the side for me to step up to the podium. She motioned for me to say a few words. I hesitated a little but eventually stepped up.

"This is amazing," I breathed. There was a lot more clapping. I waited until it was done before asking the question I had wanted the answer to since all this had begun, "Now, who the heck put my name into that goblet?"

There was dead silence throughout all the stands. I looked around to see if there was someone standing or a hand raised but there was nothing. People looked right and left. They began whispering a little. When I cleared my throat silence filled the stands again. "Well?" I asked. More looking right, more looking left, but no one stood up. I nodded understandingly even though I did not understand how whoever had put my name in the goblet was not able to confess it. I backed away from the podium and turned to walk away.

A gasp ran throughout the entire crowd. I turned to see what the commotion was about. At first I could not see what had shocked them so much then I saw one person standing up, looking at me intently. I smiled because I was not surprised at all. The thing that shocked everyone else the most was that they thought this person, who had been in disguise up until now, was a criminal.

"I knew it," I said loud enough for the person to hear.

"Well, you are my goddaughter," Professor Pinns said with a shrug.

Headmaster McGonagall gave a small smile before she took my arm and began to lead me back toward the castle. Ursula shuffled along by my side with her head down. Reporters seemed to come out of nowhere. Cameras flashed in my face, questions were shot at me like bullets. Headmaster McGonagall and the professors tried their best to get them to calm down but they just seemed to grow more eager.

The next few hours were a mass of interviews, photographs, and hand-shaking and back patting. Eventually I was able to find a few minutes of down time. I took the chance to go visit the infirmary. Oscar Ivorio was asleep but Ginny Weasely was awake. Her leg was in a cast. All the Weaselys were in a circle around her bed. I walked over and they moved to the side a little so I could get in and talk to Ginny.

"Congratulations," she said.

"Thanks," I replied. "Congratulations to you, too. You did an amazing job."

She looked around at her family. "Can you give me a minute with Rory?" They all nodded and left reluctantly. Ginny sat up a little more before she began to talk again. "Harry told me a long time ago he had to do something special for an old friend of ours. I didn't realize until now that that was what he was working on right now. He told me a little while before he left to let me know how the final challenge came out. He told me then it was because he was going on a special vacation, but now I know he's not. I would really appreciate it if you could tell him about what happened."

"Like, right now?"

"When you get the chance."

"I would love to, but-"

"He's at Grimwauld Place."

"But-"

"Please, just trust me."

I nodded somberly. "I'll go."

I walked out of the infirmary slowly. I was able to get back to the carriage without too many people holding me back to talk to me. Inside my room the Triwizard Cup was lying on my pillow. I pulled my Nimbus out from under my bed. I heard Ursula in the bathroom. The doorknob began to turn. I did not have time to grab a jacket before I rushed out of the room. I did not want her to see me leaving because I did not want to stir up any type of commotion.

Once I got outside the castle I took off into the dark sky. When I looked over the grounds I thought I saw the outline of the maze in the moonlight.


	30. Chapter 30

I opened the door to Grimwauld Place and went right inside, not even bothering to worry if something might pop out at me in the dark hallway. I placed my broom against the wall after shutting the door before I started down the hall to get to the kitchen, where I heard the scraping of a chair on the floor. I broke into a run a few feet from the door so that I slammed it open against the wall. I had been expecting to find Harry Potter sitting at the table, possible even drinking a butterbeer as he read the latest edition of the Daily Prophet, but instead I found someone else, someone I had not been expecting at all.

"Oh, hello, Rory," Daniel said casually, looking up from the Magic History book he was reading at the table as I stared at him. "Harry will be back in a minute. We've been waiting for you."

"WHAT THE HELL?" I suddenly screamed at the top of my lungs, making a few of the glasses actually shake a little.

Daniel scratched his head a little. "I guess I should have been expecting that."

I started toward where he was sitting. "You can't just disappear like that! Your parents are worried sick! Correction, _everyone_ is worried sick! They all think you're dead by now! Do you think it's very easy to go to sleep knowing you're out God knows where doing God knows what with God knows who!"

"God knows a lot…"

"Shut up! You don't deserve to speak after what you've put people through!"

"I told my mom and your uncle where I was going."

"So? That doesn't-Wait…what?"

"Harry needed some help with something and he figured since I was your friend I would want to help. I had to ask your uncle for permission, and I couldn't just leave without telling my mum where I was going."

"Help Harry with what? Why did you need to ask my uncle for permission? Permission to do what?"

"Oh, Rory, you're here," I heard a voice say behind me. I turned to see Harry Potter walking through the door to the kitchen with a couple grocery bags. He walked over to place them on the table before turning back to face me. "Congratulations on winning the Triwizard Tournament, by the way."

"Oh, yeah, congrats," Daniel said, standing up to walk out of the kitchen with me shooting death glare's at the daft boy's back.

"So, how are you Ms. Lynx?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Potter. I'm just standing here wondering why the hell you suddenly decided to go missing in action with Daniel."

"Well, I technically told Ginny where I was going and Ron and Hermione knew so I really did not go missing in action."

"Would it have killed you to tell a few more people?"

"I just wanted to keep it a secret where I was. I was doing some very important research. Daniel was helping me."

"He said he needed my uncle's permission. Why?"

"Follow me, please."

"Tell me, first."

"No, you must follow me. I have to show you something in the house before I can explain things better."

I did not make any further arguments so I followed Harry out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and into a room where Daniel was looking through some papers on a desk. It was the room that had the family tree on the wallpaper. Daniel handed a few papers to Harry, who looked them over once more as if to make sure of something before turning to face me.

"How much do you know about Sirius Black's death?" he asked me.

"He was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange," I said.

"Did you know that he had a godchild?" Before I could answer he continued. "I was his godson. Not until recently did I find the will he had made, which led us to a safe that was buried in the basement and contained a few very precious items, and then a few papers. One of those papers was a note to my parents, but their names had been crossed out and he had written mine, probably only shortly before he died." He waved the papers a little bit. "This is the note. It was very long, very detailed. It was just mostly a copy of the part of his will that says what he entrusted to me. There was, however, a paragraph or two at the bottom that I wish for you to read."

He shuffled the papers until he came to the third and last one before he handed them to me. I held the papers in my hand carefully before skimming the page with my eyes quickly. I really did not comprehend anything so I figured I would actually have to read it fully and thoroughly. Harry pointed out where I should start reading, which was an extra note that seemed to be hastily scribbled at the bottom of the page where they had crossed out their initial signature.

I would also like to entrust to you one more thing, but it is

not an object, it is a quest. I never told you of her, but when I was

in school at Hogwarts I met a lovely young woman that I quickly fell

in love with. To say I fell in love with her is a very vague term that

I use loosely because I feel so much more than love for her. She and

I spent every second together that we could, and we were planning

on getting married. Soon before I was going to propose Wormtail got

me sent off to Askaban. I did not see her for quite some time, for

it was rare that visitors were every allowed to see me, especially

ones that would possibly bring me joy.

Eventually I was allowed to see her, quite a few years after I

had been in Askaban. She saw how the place and the Dementors had

changed me, and she thought I would have hardly any time left

before it became too much for my body to bear. She was afraid I

would die before we were ever married or had a child. So I made her

a promise that if I ever got out of Askaban (she knew I was innocent)

then we would get married. The Dementors were never present when

people were visiting the prisoners, which is why so few were allowed

in, and she and I were able to conceive a child on that very same

visit, for it was the only time she ever visited me before she was with

our child. She feared to visit me in case the aura of the Dementors'

presence were to have negative affects on our child. I understood, and

she often sent her friends to bring news and messages, or as often as

was possible.

After I escaped Askaban I discovered my love had died by the

hand of a Death Eater that was never charged with her murder. I was

told our child, our daughter, was living with a family member whom I

know was supplying her with the best education possible and was

raising her in the best way possible. I have managed to see her a few

times, and her resemblance to her mother is striking, though she has

my face structure and attitude.

My quest, which I hope you will depart on as soon as possible if

I am not able to before it is safe for me to, is to find my daughter and

tell her who I am. Even if she does not accept me, I want her to know

who her father is, for I know that it has been kept a secret from her and

others to protect her. I do not know exactly where she may be at the

moment you read this, but I will leave you with her name so it will be

easier for you to find her. Her name is Aurora Bethany Lynx.

I stared at the last line of the letter, not really sure of how I should react to what I had just read. I could feel Harry and Daniel looking at me expectantly but I was unable to muster up any type of reaction because of how numb I felt on the inside. After a few minutes I was able to hand Harry back the papers but I felt like I had lost the power to speak or even to think of what I should say. Daniel reached out to rub my shoulder but I smacked his hand away with sudden rage. I threw the papers back at Harry.

"It's wrong," I spat at him, "I refuse to believe that."

"But-" he began.

"My father was not some lackadaisical, idiotic truant that does not even have the guts to try to find his daughter. No, my father was a brave person, like my mother. You of all people should know you need to be brave to get into Gryffindor."

"He was not lackadaisical, idiotic, or a truant, and he was brave enough _not_ to see you, his own flesh and blood, because he did not want to get you into any trouble. You saw what happened to Professor Pinns."

"I still don't believe it. It's too sudden. And why are you the one telling me?"

"I was his godson; you read what he told me to do. I'm doing it right now."

"I want someone else's proof."

"Like whose? Very few people know."

"I want my grandmother to give me proof."

"Fine, we'll find her and see if she knows-"

"She does."

"Then we will depart immediately."

"Are you crazy?" Daniel asked, speaking directly to Harry. "She and her grandmother can't last five seconds without wanting to kill each other. The second she knows Rory knows who her dad is she'll disown her with little hesitation."

"Daniel!" I screeched at him, even though deep down, not particularly deep either, I knew he was right.

"I'm only being honest! You know she will!"

"Fine. I won't go to her for proof."

"Who do you want to go to then?" Harry asked. I could see that the stress was beginning to get to him.

"No one."

"You believe it, then?"

"Well…I just have one question. Two, actually. You knew Sirius Black, right, Harry?"

"Yes, very well. He was my godfather. I loved him."

"It says that I have his attitude. Do I?"

Harry looked like he was trying to hold back some laughter. "Trust me, yeah, you do. The slight cockiness, the anger at anyone who dared to challenge you. You have his strength, too. He survived thirteen years in Askaban." Harry was really trying to hold back laughter now. "You survived almost fifteen years of your grandmother."

I could not help but smile, even if it was a very small smile. "So, say I was Sirius Black's…daughter. Does that make all this mine?"

Harry sighed like he was letting something go. "Yes."

I suddenly remembered something that I had seen on the Marauder's Map, when I thought I had just been seeing things. "My real last name, Black, is the name that comes up on the map, isn't it? That was the last name I saw, wasn't it? And you put it there, didn't you?"

Harry shrugged. "Daniel put it there, but yes, your real name did come up."

"So I really am Sirius Black's daughter?"

"Yes!" Daniel yelled in exasperation. "You are his daughter! He was your father! Want me to say it again? 'Cause obviously it hasn't gotten through your head yet!"

I ignored him. I looked all around me, at the family tree. I stared at my name where it had appeared beneath Sirius Black's name. I almost laughed as I realized that if my Grandma Black was still alive, I would have been blasted off the family tree. I…it was weird to think of myself that way now, because I was no longer the same "I" that I once was. Now, I was Aurora Bethany Lynx-Black.

* * *

><p><em><strong>*Author's Note*<strong>_

**So, uh, whatcha think? Did you see it coming? Or no?**


	31. Chapter 31

_**Chapter 31**_

"Aw, such a dear sight this is."

My head snapped up just in time to see Professor Indiga stroll into the room with a cocky smirk, twirling her wand lazily by her side. I felt my muscles look, and I saw Daniel and Harry tense up out of the corner of my eyes. I shoved the paper in my back pocket before raising my want to Professor Indiga.

"What do you want Giovanna?" I asked her harshly.

"Finally found out who your daddy was, huh?" she asked, ignoring my question. "So sad your mother never got to tell you herself."

"Why did you hate her so much?"

"You've never had a mother, so you don't know what it's like to have her love someone else more than you. You will _never_ know the pain I went through watching my very own mother fawn over every other child except for me, especially your atrocious little bitch of a mother."

"So you wanted revenge against my mother, didn't you? But she was stronger than you were. You hated that. You wanted more power over her, over all those students, so you joined the Death Eaters?"

"Don't act as if you know what-"

"Then your leader died, and you want nothing more than to take his place. You want to cause every person in this world nothing but terror and misery. And you still hold that old grudge against my mother, and since she's not here, you've decided to just deal with me instead."

"You think you're so intelligent, don't you? You have never been unsure of yourself ever, have you?"

"Now look who is trying to look like they know the other."

"_Impedimenta!_"

"_Expelliarmus_!" Daniel, Harry, and I yelled simultaneously.

"_Protego_!" Professor Indiga said so forcefully that it caused all three of us to lose our wands. We scattered after them, ducking behind chairs and tables, as Professor Indiga cast spells at us. "_Anapneo! Expulso! Confringo!_" I managed to get my hand on my wand just as the chair in front of Harry and Daniel went up in flames. "_Stupefy_! _Incarcerous_!" Daniel was suddenly immobile and surrounded by ropes so there was no hope of getting loose. She pointed her wand at Harry, who himself was wandless, and chanted, "_Excelsiosempra!_"

I watched as Harry went flying up into the air. That was about enough of this. I stood up, kicking aside the small bench I had been crouching behind. Professor Indiga turned to me with a cruel smile and I knew what was coming next all too well.

"_Cruc_-"

"_Protego_!" I countered.

"_Silencio_! _Imperio_!" I felt my hope begin to diminish as I lost my ability to control my actions. Involuntarily my hand went up to my neck where my necklace was. I pulled it out from under my shirt. "_Wingardium Leviosa._" I felt myself gaining more control over my actions and lifted my eyes up to watch my necklace float through the air until it was resting in Professor Indiga's hand. "I remember when she got this necklace…She won it as a bet in a duel. Ha! No fool knew to bet anything to valuable when they were dueling her after that. Her overconfidence lives on in you."

"So you've already said," I muttered, realizing the silencing curse had somehow been lifted from me. I looked around until I spotted Harry, still hanging in the air, pointing his wand at me.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Professor Indiga shouted at him in annoyance. As he crashed to the floor with a painful groan she turned back to me. "None of your friends can help you, Rory. The Order is too far away to help. Harry and Daniel are of no use. I doubt you yourself can even be of much use, either."

I remembered something I had learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts when I first came to Beaxbaton. I raised my wand, deliberately casting the spell inside my mind as I willed it to work even though silently casting spells were not always my expertise. Professor Indiga did not show any concern as a jet of flames shot out from my wand. It was not until it began moving slowly toward the ceiling as other smaller jets shot out from the main one that she began to show worry. Tiny threads of flames went from jet to jet, creating a large circular web of fire that Professor Indiga did not know how to react to.

"I think I would call this slightly useful," I said, looking at her mockingly.

"You little-…_Avada Keda_-"

Before I even realized what I was doing I snapped my wrist forward so that the web of fire descended upon Professor Indiga in a second. I could not stop it completely before the flames had done too much damage and Professor Indiga's high-pitched screams had stopped. I felt my body go numb as I looked at the burned and charred body of Professor Indiga lying on the floor in front of me, realizing that I had done that.

"It had to be done," Harry said, walking up beside me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"That was really brave," Daniel added, walking up on my other side.

I looked at both of them in confusion, wondering how they had gotten out of their curses. I turned slowly to see Professor Pinns leaning in the doorway, examining her nails casually. When she looked up she grinned at me.

"Well, well, Miss Rory, I must admit, that was very impressive," she said.

"But-"

"Fickleberry and Minerva knew. They're on their way to the Ministry right now to get things back together with the rest of the Order. They thought maybe you and Daniel might want a companion for your ride back to Hogwarts."

"How did you all kn-"

"Oh, I didn't know until Minerva told me. Now follow me. We'll want to get back before too much of your celebration cake gets eaten up."


	32. Chapter 32

_**Chapter 32**_

I ran through the halls of Hogwarts in a rush to get to Headmaster McGonagall's office before our carriage left. I had already said good-bye to Ursula and Trudy since they were taking a separate carriage to their country, and Daniel and his family would be visiting Grimwauld Place so often that it was not even worth saying good-bye to him.

"Come in," Headmaster McGonagall called when I knocked on her door loudly, almost completely out of breath.

I walked in to find that the Headmaster was in the middle of a conversation with Professor Pinns, which they finished in hushed tones when I walked in. Instead of leaving, Professor Pinns walked over to sit in the headmaster's chair while the headmaster herself remained standing, facing me.

"Yes, Ms. Black?" she asked me.

"I just wanted to thank you for all your help this year," I said to her. "With Professor Indiga

and-"

"It was my pleasure Rory. I would love to stay and chat, but I really must be going. Aurora, please show Rory out."

I watched Headmaster McGonagall walk out of the room in quick, deliberate strides that covered more ground than I was capable of in five steps. Professor Pinns leaned back in her chair and stretched a little, still not getting up once she was done.

"Well, Rory, you've really improved, I think," Professor Pinns said. "Maybe coming to Beaxbaton was not as bad as an idea as you originally thought it was."

"Maybe not."

"Considering the way you've been acting lately, you'd think you were going to Beaxbaton your entire life. A common Beaxbaton baby."

"But, I mean, I'll be the first to tell you that I haven't been acting what would be considered 'proper'."

"Beaxbaton prides itself on teaching proper etiquette, but it also prides itself on creating strong woman with brave hearts, much like yourself. We may look like porcelain little dolls that others think they can stop on, but even the strongest Durmstrang man is no match for us."

I smiled at her. "I'm glad I was named after you." I glanced back at the door that Headmaster McGonagall had left through. "I just have on question…"

"Yes?"

"How did Headmaster McGonagall know that Professor Indiga was going to go after me? How did she know exactly where and when it was going to happen?"

Professor Pinns seemed to have to think about this for a few seconds. "There is a theory that I have, one that others have as well, about the headmasters of Hogwarts. People claim that getting the job as headmaster here will make you even wiser than the wisest man alive."

"Oh…"

"But that might not be so, just a theory I have."

"Yeah…"

"But, Rory, you must remember something. Minerva McGonagall is an amazing woman, the closest thing to an angel I have ever met, and she is definitely the type of person you want watching over you."


End file.
